Eric Duncan

Thomas Eric Duncan (* 1972 in Green Hill Quarry , Liberia ; † October 8, 2014 in Dallas , Texas ) was a Liberian citizen and became the first Ebola infected ( index patient ) in US history during the 2014 Ebola fever epidemic the territory of the United States of America .

Life

Thomas Eric Duncan grew up in the village of Green Hill Quarry near the Yila mission station and later lived in a poor area of Monrovia , the capital of Liberia. Years later, Duncan moved to a medium - sized neighborhood in Monrovia, where he attended high school.

After the outbreak of the Liberian Civil War (1989-2003), a half-sister Duncan, who was already living in the United States, tried to obtain entry permits for the family. However, all of these were rejected. Thereupon Duncan and about 20 other family members fled to the Ivory Coast , where they lived for many years in a refugee camp near Danané . It was there that Duncan began a relationship with Louise Troh in 1994, who gave birth to a son in 1995.

In 1998 Troh's visa for the United States was approved so that she and their three-year-old son first emigrated to Boston . Today they live in Dallas. Several other family members, including one of his brothers and his mother Garteh Korkoryah, also reached the United States at that time and, like Troh and their son, still live there today.

However, Duncan's own visa applications continued to be denied. Therefore, after his girlfriend and his son left the country, he moved on to Ghana , where he lived from then on in Buduburam, a city-like and quite prosperous refugee camp. It was not until 2013, when the refugee camp was closed by the Ghanaian government, that Duncan returned to Liberia.

Ten years had passed since the end of the civil war. Thomas Eric Duncan was now back in the Monrovia neighborhood where he had graduated from high school. The area, which was once characterized by medium-sized businesses, had meanwhile turned into a slum . Duncan lived in a rented room on the city's 72nd SKD Boulevard.

Duncan most recently worked for Safeway Cargo , the FedEx - forwarder in Monrovia, where he personal chauffeur was the managing director. At the beginning of September 2014, however, Duncan terminated this employment. Duncan was a father of four.

Ebola exposure

On September 15, 2014, Duncan has been shown to help bring his landlord's pregnant daughter, who had Ebola, to a clinic. However, there they were turned away due to overcrowding. The woman was brought back home, where she died a few hours later. According to multiple sources, Duncan later withheld this exposure to Ebola from his family members in the United States, as well as from later called medical staff.

Index patient in the United States

On September 19, 2014, Duncan traveled from Monrovia via Brussels and Washington, DC to Dallas, where he arrived on September 20, 2014.

Duncan traveled to the United States to see many of his relatives again after years of separation, and in particular to marry Louise Troh, now a US citizen and mother of his now 19-year-old son.

As part of the mandatory health check at Monrovia airport, he did not show any symptoms that would suggest Ebola fever. In Dallas, Duncan lived in an apartment northeast of downtown with loved ones, including Troh.

On September 24, 2014, Duncan had the first specific symptoms for four days in the United States at the time. On September 25, 2014, he went to the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, from where he was sent home. As a result, his health deteriorated enormously, so that on September 28, 2014 , he had to be taken back to the hospital by ambulance .

On September 29, 2014, a blood test carried out confirmed that Duncan was infected with the Ebola virus. On October 3, 2014, 10 people were identified at the greatest risk of infection due to their previous contact with Duncan , including relatives and ambulance staff. In addition, 40 other people were placed under observation, although the risk of infection was assumed to be significantly lower.

Despite all medical efforts, Duncan's condition deteriorated noticeably in the days that followed. The last four days of his life had to because of kidney failure even a dialysis are performed in parallel to the actual measures.

Thomas Eric Duncan died on October 8, 2014 shortly before 8 a.m. as a result of his Ebola infection in Dallas.

As it turned out later, Duncan transmitted the Ebola fever to the nurses Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, who were treating him. Both women survived the infection.

consequences

Because Duncan was initially sent home by the staff of the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on September 25, 2014, even though he already had a very high fever at that time, his relatives sued the treating hospital after Duncan's death. In this context, clear allegations of racism were made against the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital . It was highlighted that Duncan received insufficient attention from hospital staff in particular because he was an African citizen, black and poor, and had no health insurance. Duncan's family and the hospital ultimately came to an out-of-court settlement.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ New York Daily News: Family mourns Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan as President Obama reiterates opposition to travel ban , October 20, 2014, accessed October 24, 2014
2. ↑ The Guardian: Thomas Eric Duncan fled Liberian war years before fatal Ebola infection , October 8, 2014, accessed on October 24, 2014
3. ↑ Yahoo.Com: Doctor gets emotional recounting Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan's final days, efforts to save him , October 21, 2014, accessed October 24, 2014
4. ↑ The New York Times: Retracing the Steps of the Dallas Ebola Patient , October 8, 2014, accessed October 24, 2014
5. ↑ The Washington Post: Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan's family has settled with Dallas hospital , November 12, 2014, accessed April 11, 2015.