Thomas Eric Duncan will be remembered as a modern Typhoid Mary. He knew he had been exposed to the deadly Hemorrhagic Fever and flew to the U.S. anyway. Thomas Duncan is a man who lied to Liberian airport officials and brought a deadly pathogen into the U.S.
Duncan was a 42 year old refugee who had dreamed of coming to the U.S. for a long time. During the civil war in Liberia Duncan resided in the Buduburan Refugee Camp in Ghana. After many failed attempts to be relocated to the U.S. he eventually returned to Liberia; a war torn country in economic shambles. Duncan lived in Monrovia for the last two years. He was a driver for the general manager of Safeway Cargo a Liberian partner of Fed Ex. Duncan was the first case of Ebola to be confirmed outside of Africa.
On September 15th Duncan helped his land lord's family transport their pregnant daughter who was dying of Ebola to the hospital in a cab. The infected woman was Marthalene Williams. The hospital turned her away because they couldn't remove dead bodies quickly enough to make room for her. They had to transport her back home. This is where Duncan and the Williams family were exposed through direct skin contact with Ms. Williams. Sweat is a body fluid which can commune this disease. In the attempt to help Ms. Williams none of them took any precautions. This was the first mistake in the chain of events. In an emergency situation any attempt at precaution is better than nothing. Ms. Williams younger brother Sonny Boy has since died from Ebola along with three other neighbors that were exposed to Ebola through her. Including Duncan that now makes five people that have died from being exposed to Ms. Williams.The rate of infection is frightening
At this point Duncan knew without a doubt that he had been exposed to Ebola. His next decision was probably one of the most critical ones he had ever made in his life. He decided to continue his travel plans to the U.S. under a tourist Visa. On September 19th he lied to Liberian airport officials when asked if he had cared or had any contact with Ebola victims. Duncan Changed planes in Brussels, again at Dulles Airport V.A., and finally landed in Dallas. He had many opportunity to confess his situation to airport officials. Had he done so he would probably still be alive. At this point in the timeline it becomes quite difficult to break the chain of events. His symptoms supposedly started to appear four to five days after his trip according to the C.D.C. director. On Friday September 25th Duncan went to the emergency room at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital in Dallas. He had a fever and was vomiting. He was definitely contagious. Hospital officials were not informed that he had been exposed to Ebola. He was sent home with antibiotics and pain relievers. The family's failure to communicate coupled with the hospital releasing him was a huge mistake. The potential infection of others at the hospital that evening is quite distressing. This first visit to the hospital was another missed opportunity to break the chain of events. He returned back to the apartment where Troh, his fiancee; her son, Timothy Wayne; a relative named Oliver Smallwood; his friend, Jeffery Cole; and two other men in their 20's resided. Did any of these people help him or come into contact with any surfaces that had been contaminated by Duncan's body fluids?
His condition deteriorated throughout the day and into the night on Saturday. On Saturday Night Trohs' daughter Jallah left her daughter and three sons to spend the night on their Grandmother's couches where Duncan was dying of Ebola. This was a terrible mistake that could have dire consequences both for the children and the rest of us. Sunday Morning Jallah returned to Troh's apartment after her overnight shift as a health care worker to a very bad scene. She found Duncan fully clothed with socks and two layers of shirts on covered with blankets experiencing severe chills. Jallah went to Walmart and bought another blanket. When she returned she covered Duncan with the blanket and realized what she was dealing with. Duncan's eyes were extremely red and he had been experiencing sever diarrhea along with profuse vomiting throughout the previous night. What type of precautions if any did the residents of this apartment take? Did any of these people come into physical contact with Duncan or any surface that had been contaminated by his body fluid? There were probably multiple mistakes that were made that night. All of these mistakes could have a huge effect on the future of the U.S. itself.
At this point Jallah realized the severity of the situation. She called for an ambulance against Duncan's wishes. This is the first right choice that has been made since taking him to the hospital on Friday evening. When the Paramedics arrived Jallah informed them that Duncan had arrived from Liberia and told them not to touch anything because of viruses. The failure to use the word Ebola was a critical mistake both Friday evening and with the paramedics. Even if the paramedics understood, clear communication is critical when dealing with health care providers. While Duncan was being taken to the ambulance he vomited on the lawn and in the parking lot. I fear that this might be the worst mistake of all. This vomit was a biohazzard out in the open to infect our native animal population, or any person who came into contact with it. Jallah followed the ambulance with two relatives, and the blanket that had been on Duncan.
After bringing Duncan to the hospital, the ambulance went to pick up a homeless man, the ambulance had not been disinfected or sanitized. Jallah with her two cousins arrived at the emergency room shortly thereafter. For some reason she brought the blanket into the E.R. waiting room and placed it on the chair next to. They waited for hours while the bio-hazard blanket sat right next to them. Who might have had contact with that chair? This is an unforgivable mistake that borders on criminal negligence on Jallah's part. She could very well be charged with aggrivated assault under Texas law for this action. Ignorance of the law is not a defense. On her way back from the hospital she called her boyfriend and informed him that Duncan was very sick and instructed him to take their four children back to their apartment. This was a pretty major mistake. Those children would not be quarantined until Wednesday. Moving the kids from the scene of the crime could have obstructed the C.D.C. investigation. This family had not been forthcoming to officials up to this point. Were they honest with C.DC. investigator's?
When Jallah returned to the apartment in question she placed the contaminated blanket back on the bed where Duncan had been. She then sprayed disinfectant throughout the house and sprinkled Clorox on the furniture. From Sunday to Wednesday the apartment in question had not been officially disinfected or sanitized by the C.D.C. This is an extremely unfortunate mistake on the part of the C.D.C. What ever happened to the vomit outside? Who cleaned that up? I fear that this might be the biggest mistake of all. Ebola crossed over to humans from the animal population in Africa. We may have infected our native animal population through this vomit. Flies, rats, mice, squirrels, crows and other birds could have looked at this vomit as a feast. What happens if one of these birds dies in a field of cattle or near a chicken farm in Texas? What happens once flies start to eat the decomposing bird? What happens when those flies start to bite the cattle in the field or other live stock? My worst fear is that this chain of events could lead to the infection of our food supply. The possible consequences of this could be disastrous for the U.S. and for the countries that import our food.
I pray that the C.D.C.'s investigation has been thorough and found everyone that could have been infected and that they are being monitored properly. Jallahs' children were not quarantined until three days after Duncan had been taken to the hospital. Duncan is now dead, the U.S. has had it's first fatality from Ebola. If no one else is infected from this disastrous chain of events it will be a miracle. Ebola is a serious threat that could potentially change the course of history for the world. The health organizations of the African countries, the World Health Organization, and the C.D.C. have all failed to contain this pandemic. So far in this Pandemic there have been no victories. We are all hoping that the makers of ZMapp will be able to declare a victory, but that could be months or years away. Even if ZMapp is declared successful it is doubtful if they will ever be able to make enough to stem the tide of this pandemic. Let us all hope as a nation that Duncan's death will be the last Ebola death in the U.S., but let us all prepare ourselves for the worst case scenario.
With something as dangerous as Ebola in the world we can no longer depend on the W.H.O., the C.D.C. or our governments to save us. They have all dropped the ball through slow and inadequate response. When your life is in danger the only person who can protect you is yourself. Chances are when you first come into contact with Ebola that you will not have gloves, masks, and eye protection on. There is currently no cure for Ebola. There is about a 50% chance of survival for anyone who is infected. The only thing that can truly protect you from Ebola is your immune system. I have co-authored a book that will show you exactly how do do that in a matter of days. The book is the Ebola Survival Kit by J. Guinan Stevens and C. L. Carmen available on Amazon in Paper back, Kindle, Prime and Unlimited. This book will show you how to naturally boost your immunity in a matter of days. This will raise your chances of survival. This book will also show you how to disinfect your home naturally. As a benefit of this book you will cure past ailments while preventing future ones. The main goal however is to protect yourself from the deadliest pathogens that nature can throw at you. Right now that is Ebola. How much is your life worth to you? How much are the lives of your family worth to you. I venture that every human life is a precious, priceless gift that must be protected at all costs. The paper back on Amazon is $10.99, the digital format on Kindle is $4.99. On Kindle Prime and Unlimited it is completely free. If you order the paper back, you can get the digital download for an additional 99 cents.Our book is a quick jump start guide that will get your immunity stronger than it has ever been for very little investment. I urge you please protect yourself and your family now.
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