Dallas Man Tells of U.S. Ebola Patient's Decline

Wall Street Journal ^ | 10/2/2014 | DAN FROSCH

[markomalley]

A Dallas man who was in contact with the first person to be diagnosed with the Ebola virus in the U.S. said in an interview that the Liberian native had been weak and ill in an apartment after trying to seek help at a hospital days earlier.

Joe Joe Jallah said he met the man diagnosed with Ebola, Thomas Eric Duncan, last week when visiting Mr. Jallah's former wife, Louise Troh, the same woman Mr. Duncan had come to see in the U.S.

Numerous members of the Liberian community in North Texas confirmed that Mr. Duncan traveled to the U.S. to visit Ms. Troh, who is also from Liberia. Ms. Troh declined to speak about the situation when reached by phone.

Mr. Jallah, who believed that this was Mr. Duncan's first trip to the U.S., said he was anxious to hear from Mr. Duncan about the situation in Liberia, where Ebola has ravaged parts of the country.

He listened as Mr. Duncan described how dire things had become in Liberia, and how rigorous the health screenings were during his trip to the U.S.

Several days later, on Saturday, Mr. Jallah said he had heard that Mr. Duncan had fallen ill.

[Bigg Red]

Mr. Jallah, who believed that this was Mr. Duncan’s first trip to the U.S.....

***
Wait! In another post, the woman Louise, described here as Jallah’s ex-wife was described as Duncan’s girlfriend, and then in a later post as Duncan’s “partner”. On his first visit? Huh?

[flaglady47]

This guy down in Dallas knew the odds he was infected after taking the pregnant lady in his hometown in Liberia dying of Ebola to the hospital and then bringing her back home where she dies, were great. So he hopped on a plane to the U.S. as fast after that exposure as he could, before his symptoms made it too hard to travel, in order to get free U.S. hospital treatment. He knew exactly what he did, and why, and flew to the great U.S. patsyland where he would get free, excellent treatment and therefore might live. He knew if he stayed in Liberia, the odds were great that he would die.

So he lies about being in the proximity of someone with Ebola, knowing he would never be able to get on the plane to the U.S. Expect more of this by other infected Africans seeking free U.S. healthcare. Obama won’t cut off the plane travel out of anywhere in Africa, and more and more of our folks will be subject to potential Ebola infection by those that come over here from infected African countries.

Plus the health officials in this country are lying their *sses off trying to minimize the threat. As long as Obama is President, there is a huge threat. He’s already sent over our military troops, subjecting them to infection for them to bring back home. Why not infect the rest of us? He probably sees it as just desserts, blacks coming over here from Africa to bump us off with Ebola. Hang on to your hats folks. We’re in for a very bumpy ride.

[Jedidah]

I want him to get well, too. I also want this awful virus to go away.

That said, I am angry with him for bringing it here. At the same time, it is human nature to take extreme measures in order to live. I think that is what he did, probably hoping all the while that he would beat the odds and not get sick.

He was wrong.

He caught the virus while trying to help an infected pregnant friend. That’s not indicative of a bad man. He has a son and relatives in the US. He fled to them. Might I have done the same? I would hope not, but who knows how they will behave until faced with calamity?

Hoping for recovery for him and no infection among those he touched.

[FR_addict]

“He caught the virus while trying to help an infected pregnant friend.”

It’s possible he didn’t know the woman had the virus. He might have thought the landlord’s wife was having problems because of the pregnancy. Her son dies later, but we don’t know if he got sick after this man left the country. He may have gotten sick at the same time this guy got sick in Texas.

I believe they are being far too easy on the doctor that first looked at him. Supposedly, it was not communicated that he was from Liberia, but I have a hard time believing that the doctor didn’t notice that the guy didn’t speak like an American. And they supposedly went through a test scenario for Ebola at that same hospital earlier in the week.

The way the CDC has handled this is laughable. They didn’t even get the family food so they could be properly quarantined, but told them to go to the store themselves, just don’t take the kids. Then one of the kids goes to school. They finally put them under guarded quarantine. The daughter said she took the blanket he had been using to the hospital to give to him. They never took the blanket away. She had it in the waiting room for hours. The vomit cleanup was another joke.

[Smokin' Joe]

Ping…

A link to this thread has been posted on the Ebola Surveillance Thread

[null and void]

The hospital screening software didn't highlight his travel history, that's their story.

The game of Ebola Roulette continues...

*click* spin *click* spin *click* spin…BANG!

Eeeee-bolllll-aaaaaa ping!

Bring Out Your Dead

We’re gonna need

a bigger cart!

Post to me or FReep mail to be on/off the Bring Out Your Dead ping list.

The purpose of the “Bring Out Your Dead” ping list (formerly the “Ebola” ping list) is very early warning of emerging pandemics, as such it has a high false positive rate.

So far the false positive rate is 100%.

At some point we may well have a high mortality pandemic, and likely as not the “Bring Out Your Dead” threads will miss the beginning entirely.

*sigh* Such is life, and death...

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[FR_addict]

Here’s what the taxi driver said:

“Jiminez Grugbaye says he drove the taxi that ferried Duncan and a sick pregnant woman in search of a hospital. All five people who rode in the cab have either died of Ebola or are infected with it
...
‘She was helpless. She, she was not able to walk by herself,’ he told NBC.
...
Mr Grubaye said he noticed a stream of blood trickling from Williams’ mouth. However, her family told him that she had only bit her tongue and that she was suffering a miscarriage - not sick with Ebola.

...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2779433/She-bleeding-mouth-couldn-t-walk-Cab-driver-ferried-U-S-Ebola-patient-sick-pregnant-woman-helped-tells-fateful-ride.html#ixzz3F677cEQo

[FR_addict]

I think it is possible that Duncan wasn’t told the truth and came to America without knowing what happened to his landlord’s family. It doesn’t say whether the taxi driver got sick or not.

[novemberslady]

Jiminez Grugbaye says he drove the taxi that ferried Duncan and a sick pregnant woman in search of a hospital

A member of his family...or was she pregnant with his child?