texas ebola case Crew disinfects Dallas home

Associated Press

DALLAS

A hazardous-materials crew on Friday decontaminated the Texas apartment where an Ebola patient was staying when he got sick, while public-health officials cut by half the number of people being monitored for any symptoms of the deadly disease.

Hours later, the family that was living in the apartment was moved to a private residence in a gated community that was offered by a volunteer.

The decontamination team was to collect bed sheets, towels and a mattress used by the infected man before he was hospitalized, as well as a suitcase and other personal items belonging to Thomas Eric Duncan, officials said.

The materials were sealed in industrial barrels that were to be stored until they can be hauled away for permanent disposal, probably by incineration at a landfill.

The first Ebola diagnosis in the U.S. has raised concerns about whether the disease that has killed 3,400 people in West Africa could spread in the U.S. Federal health officials say they are confident they can keep it in check.

Elsewhere, NBC News reported that an American freelance cameraman working for the network in Liberia has tested positive for the virus and will be flown back to the United States, along with the rest of the news crew.

Neighbors stood on their balconies and watched the family’s grim departure from behind a black tarp hung to shield their front door from view.

The family was placed in a Dallas County deputy’s patrol car and driven away, apparently leaving with nothing more than the clothes they wore.

The residence where they will stay had been offered only a short time earlier. Until then, a search for shelter had come up short. The city had been refused by hotels, apartments and other providers.

“No one wants this family,” said Sana Syed, a Dallas city spokeswoman.

The family was confined to their home under armed guard while public-health officials monitor them — part of an intense effort to contain the deadly disease before it can get a foothold in the United States.

Louise Troh, originally from Liberia, shares the apartment with her 13-year-old son and two nephews.

When the decontamination is complete, even the crew’s protective suits are to be burned, said Tamara Smith, office manager for the Cleaning Guys of Fort Worth.

Judge Clay Jenkins, Dallas County’s top administrative official, said he went to the apartment with two epidemiologists to apologize for the delay in removing the soiled items, which happened five days after Duncan was admitted to the hospital.