Dallas Ebola Watch—Day 17 and No Reported Transmission
Sadly, Thomas Eric Duncan died of an Ebola virus infection in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday. He arrived at Dallas on September 20 and sought treatment for a fever at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital emergency department on September 24. As we all now know, he was a turned away despite having a fever of 103 degrees. Duncan was finally admitted on September 28 for treatment.
In the meantime, public health officials have been tracking and monitoring some 100 people who may have come into close contact with Duncan after he began to exhibit symptoms of his illness. Four family members who were with Duncan in his grilfriend's apartment have been quarantined and will remain isolated until October 19. Depending if one counts from the onset of symptoms or from the time Duncan was admitted to the hospital, the number of days that have passed since contacts (especially those in the apartment) were exposed to Duncan now amount to either 17 or 13 days.
The Dallas deputy who feared that he might have been infected after he entered the apartment where Duncan was staying has been given the all-clear.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that " symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola but the average is 8 to 10 days." So far, so good.