Monnig came into contact with the family members when he went to their home to deliver a quarantine order.
The officer was not wearing protective gear.
Officials, nonetheless, said the deputy never came into direct contact with Duncan and stressed that he was “not experiencing all of Ebola’s symptoms,” only displaying “a few” indicators of a possible Ebola infection.
“The latest information we have is no definite contact, no definite symptoms” Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said.
“We are being told that the risk is minimal,” Frisco’s mayor echoed, “But we are taking all precautions.”
Health officials say none of the family has exhibited symptoms and wouldn’t have been contagious; the disease can be spread only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an already sick person.
Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas released a statement about the new case.
“Right now, there are more questions than answers about this case,” it said. “Our professional staff of nurses and doctors is prepared to examine the patient, discuss any findings with appropriate agencies and officials.”
The deputy is not among 48 people who have been monitored by health officials after having had varying degrees of contact with Duncan, and Piland said his exposure is being treated as “a low-risk event.”
Here’s What You Need To Do:
If you must travel to an area affected by the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the CDC advises you protect yourself by doing the following:
- Wash hands frequently or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid contact with blood and body fluids of any person, particularly someone who is sick.
- Do not handle items that may have come in contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids.
- Do not touch the body of someone who has died from Ebola.
- Do not touch bats and nonhuman primates or their blood and fluids and do not touch or eat raw meat prepared from these animals.
- Avoid hospitals in West Africa where Ebola patients are being treated. The U.S. Embassy or consulate is often able to provide advice on medical facilities.
- Seek medical care immediately if you develop fever (temperature of 101.5°F/ 38.6°C) and any of the other following symptoms: headache, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bruising or bleeding.
- Limit your contact with other people until and when you go to the doctor. Do not travel anywhere else besides a healthcare facility.
Texas Man Dies Of Ebola; Here’s What To Do was originally published on blackdoctor.org