In an effort to contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, a hazardous-materials crew Friday decontaminated the Dallas apartment where a visitor from Liberia was staying when he fell ill, the Associated Press reports.
Residents of the apartment unit where Thomas Eric Duncan had stayed were moved to a private residence in a gated community that was offered by a volunteer, the story says.
The decontamination team removed bed sheets, towels and a mattress used by Duncan before he was hospitalized, as well as a suitcase and other personal items, officials said, according to the news site. The items were sealed in industrial barrels to be hauled away for permanent disposal, the report says.
Thomas’ is the first case of Ebola diagnosed in the United States. The diagnosis sparked fear that the disease that has killed at least 3,400 people in West Africa could spread. But U.S. health officials say they are confident they can contain it, AP says.
Duncan became ill a few days after arriving in Dallas on Sept. 20. On Sept. 26 he visited the emergency room at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital but was sent home, although he told a nurse he had been in West Africa. His condition worsened, and he was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
In a separate case Friday, an unidentified person was being treated at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C., for symptoms that are consistent with Ebola. The hospital did not disclose the person’s name but said it would release updates.
Read more at the Huffington Post.