Ear Hustle

Texas Ebola Patient Not Receiving Experimental Medication

 

Texas Ebola Patient Not Receiving Experimental Medication

Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., is not being treated with experimental medication, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said today.

Doctors treating Duncan fear that the experimental medication may worsen his condition, CDC Director Tom Frieden said. Duncan is instead only receiving supportive care.

David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, also said that Duncan’s medical condition had worsened. Doctors downgraded his condition from serious to critical on Saturday.

Duncan is being treated in an isolation unit at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

Authorities in Dallas also announced today that they are looking for another person they believe had contact with Duncan.

“We are working to locate the individual and get him to a comfortable, compassionate place where we can monitor him and care for his every need for the full incubation period,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement released Sunday.

The individual is believed to be at “low risk” for exposure, according to the statement.

Health officials are monitoring about 50 people who may have had contact with Duncan, including 9 believed to be at “high risk” for exposure.

The Ebola virus can only be spread through contact with bodily secretions such as blood, urine or sweat.

 

Source:  abcnews.go.com

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most Popular

To Top