Texas Ebola patient said to be fighting for life
DALLAS — The first Ebola patient diagnosed on U. S. soil took a turn for the worse Sunday, with officials saying Thomas Eric Duncan was on a respirator fighting for his life.
Asenior federal health official familiar with his condition said Duncan “could die quickly,” but did not rule out the possibility that the Liberian could rally and survive.
About50 peoplewhomay have had contact with Duncan before he was hospitalized aweek ago continued to wait under close monitoring to see whether they become ill.
Thefederalgovernment’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told “Fox News Sunday” that he would not be surprised “if someone who had very close contact with Mr. Duncan actually comes downwith Ebola.”
Ebola is spread through contact with victims’ bodily fluids. So far, none of those thought to have come into contact with Duncan have developed symptoms.
Butbecause Ebola symptoms take up to 21 days to appear— and because Duncan probably first became infectious after developing symptoms days after his Sept. 20 arrival in the U. S. — dozens of worried Texans will have to wait more than a week longer to be certain they have not become infected.
Youngor Jallah, 35, was among the last people to see Duncan before he was placed in isolation at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. Duncan is her mother’s boyfriend. When he became ill, Jallah, who works at a nursing home, helped care for him.
On Sunday, Jallah and her familywere home, as advised, watching the news and tracking Duncan’s condition.
“We just pray he is OK,” Jallah said.
Shortly before 1 p. m., a pair of public healthworkers stoppedby to check the family’s temperatures and monitor their conditions. All said they remained healthy and had no symptoms.
Louise Troh — Jallah’s mother — was moved to a Dallas home Friday by city and county officials, along with her 13- year- old son, TimothyWayne; friend Jeffrey Cole, 22; and a relative of Duncan’s, Oliver Smallwood, 28.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the county’s highest elected official, said the four were not being kept in a hospital because of concern that people would stop going to that hospital, potentially creating an even greater health problem than the unlikely possibility of an Ebola outbreak in theU. S. molly.hennessy- fiske@latimes.com matt. pearce@ latimes. com Hennessy- Fiske reported fromDallas and Pearce fromLos Angeles. Times staff writers David Willman and JimPuzzanghera in Washington contributed to this report.