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Texas Liberian Community In Shock Following Ebola Death

cdc.gov
/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Health officials believe that Thomas Eric Duncan contracted the disease taking a pregnant woman with Ebola to a hospital in his home country when an ambulance didn’t respond to her calls for help. He later traveled to Dallas to be with his fiancé and family.  After a week, he became ill and was treated and released by hospital staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas. He later returned to the hospital in severe condition and was diagnosed with the disease. Dr. Gary Weinstein, The doctor who was treating Duncan testified this week before state lawmakers.

He said, “There will be lots of lessons learned and I presume and hope that as we learn these things we will put them out there so that the next response for the next patient, whether it’s in this state or any other, they won’t make the same missteps.”

Tuesday, Duncan’s condition was upgraded from critical to serious but stable condition, but during the overnight hours he died from causes related to Ebola.   

Alben Terty is with the Liberian Community Association of North Texas and says, “The reaction of people is everyone is absolutely shocked. At the time that he is recovering that’s when he died.”

The group has sent out an emergency appeal to its donors to help Liberians here in Texas and those with family still inside the country. They say an estimated 5-thousand Liberians live in the Dallas-Fort Worth-area. Doctors continue to monitor Duncan’s family and those who came in contact with him for signs of the disease. 

Ryan started his radio career in 2002 working for Austin’s News Radio KLBJ-AM as a show producer for the station's organic gardening shows. This slowly evolved into a role as the morning show producer and later as the group’s executive producer.