Ebola in US: Thomas Eric Duncan’s family moved out of Dallas flat

The occupants of the Dallas flat where Thomas Eric Duncan lay sick for days with Ebola have been moved from their home.

Thomas Eric Duncan, who caught the virus in his native Liberia, is now in a serious condition in hospital. This is the only Ebola case recorded so far in the US.

The flat in Dallas where he lived before being isolated is being cleaned by hazardous materials specialists.

The four people living there have been moved to a private home offered by a volunteer.

Louise Troh, thought to be Thomas Eric Duncan’s girlfriend, her 13-year-old son and two nephews have spent days inside the flat under the orders of health officials.

The family was driven away from the home in a police car, after officials failed to find shelter for them.

Hotels, flats and others had refused to offer them accommodation, before a private residence was offered.

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

More than 3,431 people have died in four West African countries in what has become the world’s worst ever Ebola outbreak.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said the US could deploy as many as 4,000 troops to West Africa to help contain the outbreak.

Although Thomas Eric Duncan is the first person to be diagnosed within the US, four Americans have contracted the virus in Liberia.

Three aid workers have recovered after flying back to the US for treatment but a fourth, photojournalist Ashoka Mukpo, 33, is expected to be flown home over the weekend.

Thomas Eric Duncan’s diagnosis was confirmed on September 30, 10 days after he arrived in the US to visit relatives and friends.

As well as the four who shared his flat, another six people who had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan have been identified by Texas health officials as higher risk.

Thomas Eric Duncan, a courier driver, is believed to have taken a sick patient to a clinic in Liberia.

Authorities there have accused him of lying on an Ebola questionnaire prior to leaving the country and say they plan to prosecute him upon his return.

On October 3, Howard University hospital in Washington DC said a patient had come in with symptoms “associated with Ebola”.

The patient was being kept in isolation while he was tested for the disease. He had recently travelled from Nigeria.

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