OPINION:
The case of Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus on U.S. soil, was mishandled in a number of different ways.
First of all, people relied on his word (but he lied) that he had no contact with Ebola victims before entering the United States, instead of thoroughly checking him since he came from Liberia, where the Ebola disease is raging. As it turned out, he came into direct contact with a sick, pregnant Liberian woman who later died of the disease.
Secondly, though he was in the early stages of Ebola, he was initially sent home from a Dallas hospital with just some antibiotics, despite telling a nurse he was from West Africa, but once again was hospitalized four days later when he became sicker.
Once again, he wasn’t thoroughly examined when he was first admitted. During this period, he may have come in contact with 100 people, including at least five children.
Finally, when Mr. Duncan vomited on a sidewalk, it was hosed down by a person wearing no protective gear, though a person can easily contract Ebola if he comes in contact with a victim’s bodily fluids.
If our country reacts to an Ebola patient in such a casual way, it is going to spread like wildfire in the United States.
People with contagious diseases were treated more aggressively at “The Knick” in 1900 than they are today.
KENNETH L. ZIMMERMAN
Huntington Beach, Calif.
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