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| Ebola crisis: Texas children 'monitored for symptoms' | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Schoolchildren have come into contact with the first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola on US soil, the governor of Texas has said. | |
| At a news conference at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Rick Perry said the children were being monitored "at home" for symptoms. | |
| The patient is thought to have contracted the virus in Liberia before coming to the US nearly two weeks ago. | |
| He is in a serious condition, a spokeswoman for the hospital said. | |
| "Today we learned that some school-age children had been identified as having had contact with the patient and are now being monitored at home for any signs of the disease," Mr Perry said. | |
| "Parents are extremely concerned about that development. These children have been identified and they are being monitored." | |
| Mr Perry emphasised the disease could not be transmitted before a patient showed signs of the disease, and he said Texas had the medical infrastructure to prevent an outbreak. | |
| "The public should have every confidence that the highly trained professional will succeed in this very important mission," he said. | |
| Meanwhile, in Liberia a government spokesman said the country had put in place "stringent screening" at the airport, where the man showed no symptoms or fever as he departed the country. | |
| "What this incident demonstrates is the clear international dimension of this Ebola crisis," Lewis Brown, the country's information minister, said in a statement. | "What this incident demonstrates is the clear international dimension of this Ebola crisis," Lewis Brown, the country's information minister, said in a statement. |
| "For months, the Liberian government has been stressing that this disease is not simply a Liberian or West African problem." | "For months, the Liberian government has been stressing that this disease is not simply a Liberian or West African problem." |
| More than 3,000 people have already died of Ebola in West Africa and small number of US aid workers have recovered after being flown to the US. | More than 3,000 people have already died of Ebola in West Africa and small number of US aid workers have recovered after being flown to the US. |
| The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the Ebola virus seems to have been contained in Nigeria and Senegal, with no new cases reported there for almost a month. | The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says the Ebola virus seems to have been contained in Nigeria and Senegal, with no new cases reported there for almost a month. |
| Monitoring | Monitoring |
| CDC Director Thomas Frieden confirmed the Ebola case on Tuesday, saying the unnamed patient left Liberia on 19 September and arrived in the US the next day to visit relatives, without displaying any symptoms of the virus. | CDC Director Thomas Frieden confirmed the Ebola case on Tuesday, saying the unnamed patient left Liberia on 19 September and arrived in the US the next day to visit relatives, without displaying any symptoms of the virus. |
| Symptoms became apparent in the patient on 24 September, and on 28 September he was admitted to a Texas hospital and put in isolation. | Symptoms became apparent in the patient on 24 September, and on 28 September he was admitted to a Texas hospital and put in isolation. |
| The disease, which is not contagious until symptoms appear, is spread via close contact with bodily fluids. | The disease, which is not contagious until symptoms appear, is spread via close contact with bodily fluids. |
| Aid workers who caught Ebola in West Africa have come back to the US for treatment but this is the first case of a patient developing the illness on US soil, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Los Angeles. | Aid workers who caught Ebola in West Africa have come back to the US for treatment but this is the first case of a patient developing the illness on US soil, says the BBC's Alastair Leithead in Los Angeles. |
| The unnamed patient was described as critically ill on Tuesday, suggesting the hospital has upgraded his condition. | The unnamed patient was described as critically ill on Tuesday, suggesting the hospital has upgraded his condition. |
| Health officials are working to identify all people who came into contact with the unnamed patient while he was infectious, including relatives and a "couple" community members. | Health officials are working to identify all people who came into contact with the unnamed patient while he was infectious, including relatives and a "couple" community members. |
| Those people will then be monitored for 21 days to see if an Ebola-related fever develops. | Those people will then be monitored for 21 days to see if an Ebola-related fever develops. |
| But they will not be monitoring passengers on the man's flight, where Dr Frieden said there was "zero risk of transmission" as the man had been checked for fever before boarding. | But they will not be monitoring passengers on the man's flight, where Dr Frieden said there was "zero risk of transmission" as the man had been checked for fever before boarding. |
| 'We will stop it' | 'We will stop it' |
| According to Dr Frieden, it is possible a family member who came in direct contact with the patient may develop Ebola in the coming weeks. | According to Dr Frieden, it is possible a family member who came in direct contact with the patient may develop Ebola in the coming weeks. |
| But "the bottom line here is I have no doubt that we will control this importation, this case of Ebola, so it does not spread widely in this country," he added. "We will stop it here." | But "the bottom line here is I have no doubt that we will control this importation, this case of Ebola, so it does not spread widely in this country," he added. "We will stop it here." |
| On Wednesday, Zachary Thompson, the director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, told local broadcaster WFAA "there may be another case that is a close associate with this particular patient". | On Wednesday, Zachary Thompson, the director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, told local broadcaster WFAA "there may be another case that is a close associate with this particular patient". |
| In an interview with CNN, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, suggested the hospital which initially saw the patient should have asked about international travel. | In an interview with CNN, Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, suggested the hospital which initially saw the patient should have asked about international travel. |
| "If the ER physician had asked for a travel history, [and said], 'Do you have any recent travel outside of the country?' And if the person said, 'Well, I just came back from Liberia,' that would have been an enormous red flag for anybody, given the publicity that we have," Dr Fauci told the broadcaster. | "If the ER physician had asked for a travel history, [and said], 'Do you have any recent travel outside of the country?' And if the person said, 'Well, I just came back from Liberia,' that would have been an enormous red flag for anybody, given the publicity that we have," Dr Fauci told the broadcaster. |
| Ebola virus disease (EVD) | Ebola virus disease (EVD) |
| Ebola virus: Busting the myths | Ebola virus: Busting the myths |
| Do you know anyone who's been affected by the Ebola outbreak? Email your comments to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk | Do you know anyone who's been affected by the Ebola outbreak? Email your comments to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk |