Officials at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas have announced that the first patient diagnosed with the first person diagnosed with the Ebola Virus on U.S. soil died early Wednesday morning.
Said the hospital in a written statement, “It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7:51 am. Mr. Duncan succumbed to an insidious disease, Ebola.”
Although there have been no other confirmed cases within the U.S., Dallas officials have come under fire for the clear mishandling of the case. After initially entering the emergency room with early symptoms of the disease, Duncan was sent home with nothing more than antibiotics. After his symptoms worsened he returned to the hospital on September 28th and was placed in isolation. This early mistake resulted in nearly 100 people who had direct or indirect contact with Duncan to be exposed to the deadly disease; though to date none have shown any signs of the virus.
Texas Department of State Health Services Dr. David Lakey said the following, “The doctors, nurses and staff at Presbyterian provided excellent and compassionate care, but Ebola is a diseases that attacks the body in many ways. We’ll continue every effort to contain the spread of the virus and protect people from this threat.”
Update: Reports have surfaced that there may be a second case of the Ebola Virus in Texas. This story is still developing.