The first Ebola case diagnosed on US soil has been confirmed in Dallas, Texas.
According to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital officials, the unidentified patient is being kept in isolation.
The man is thought to have contracted the virus in Liberia before travelling to the US nearly two weeks ago.
More than 3,000 people have already died of Ebola in West Africa and a small number of US aid workers have recovered after being flown to the US.
“An individual travelling from Liberia has been diagnosed with Ebola in the United States,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Thomas Frieden told reporters on September 30.
Thomas Frieden said the unnamed patient left Liberia on September 19 and arrived in the United States the next day to visit relatives, without displaying any symptoms of the virus.
Symptoms of the virus became apparent on September 24, and on September 28 he was admitted to a Texas hospital and put in isolation.
The first Ebola case diagnosed on US soil has been confirmed at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital
The disease, which is not contagious until symptoms appear, is spread via close contact with bodily fluids.
Aid workers who caught Ebola in West Africa have come back to the US for treatment but this is the first case of a patient developing the virus on US soil.
A hospital official told reporters on September 30 the facility already had procedures in place to deal with any such potential cases.
Preliminary information indicates that the unnamed patient, who was described as critically ill, was not involved in treating Ebola-infected patients while in Liberia.
Health officials are working to identify all people who came into contact with the unnamed patient while he was infectious.
Those people will then be monitored for 21 days to see if an Ebola-related fever develops.
According to Thomas Frieden, it is possible a family member who came in direct contact with the patient may develop Ebola in the coming weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 3,000 people have died of the virus so far, mostly in Liberia.
Earlier on Tuesday, the CDC said the Ebola virus seemed to be contained in Nigeria and Senegal, with no new cases reported there for almost a month.
It is the world’s most deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus.
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Following Larry Hagman’s death Dallas fans are set to be treated to another “Who Shot JR?” mystery.
Dallas producers are set to pay tribute to the late Larry Hagman by killing off his character JR Ewing, in an hour-long special of the new version of the show, according to reports.
A source told the Mirror: “We wanted Larry’s legacy to remain beyond this show.”
“We felt that one way would be to mirror the most memorable episode of all time.”
Larry Hagman passed away in November after losing a battle with cancer.
Dallas producers are set to pay tribute to the late Larry Hagman by killing off his character JR Ewing, in an hour-long special of the new version of the show
The “Who shot JR?” episode of the original oil drama in the 1980s was the second most-watched TV episode of all time.
It is estimated that more than 85 million viewers tuned in to see the episode that revealed that the character had actually survived and that the shooter was his sister-in-law Kristin Shepard.
Larry Hagman passed away on November 23 from complications of throat cancer aged 81.
The actor was in the middle of filming episode five of 15 in season two of the Dallas reboot when he passed away and writers evidently struggled with how to write him out of the show, before coming up with the “Who Done It” plot.
The episode is set to air in March in the US.
The original 1978 CBS series, only originally envisaged as a five-part drama, became a hit and counted millions of fans across the U.S. and in the 95 foreign countries where it was aired.
Shortly before his death, Larry Hagman took part in hidden camera show I Get That a Lot – to try and convince fans he was just an average Joe.
A raging fire at Magnablend Chemical Plant in Waxahachie, south of Dallas, sent black smoke billowing into the sky and prompted area schools to evacuate students.
Officials at the scene told WFAA-TV there are contaminates in the air that are dangerous to breathe in as a result of the fire.
Huge orange flames and plumes of smoke were seen at the Magnablend Chemical Plant facility in Waxahachie, about 30 miles south of Dallas.
Several large explosions were also reported from the facility.
Giant plumes of noxious smoke, which could be seen for miles, rise from the Magnablend Chemical Plant, not far from houses and apartments on Highway 287 Bypass in Texas
Ellis County emergency management authorities issued an evacuation order for an apartment complex, an elementary school and a junior college.
Waxahachie Independent School District spokeswoman Nicole Mansell said Wedgeworth Elementary School students had been safely bussed to another school’s gymnasium by 12:25pm.
Navarro College cancelled all classes for its 2,500 or so students, school president Dr. Richard Sanchez told the Star-Telegram.
Sheriff’s officials urged residents not to drive toward the area of the fire.
In addition, area residents are being told to stay inside their homes – and to keep doors and windows shut.
Jessenia Colin, an assistant general manager at a nearby Hampton Inn and Suites, said hotel staff members were turning off air vents so smoke and chemicals didn’t enter the rooms.
As they waited for news and watched the smoke billow, staff covered their mouths to protect against the heavy chemical smell that hung in the air, she said.
Jessenia Colin said: “It smells like a whole bunch of chemicals, like wrappers burning. It’s making everyone’s heads hurt.”
Stephanie Otto said she was preparing her new restaurant for a Tuesday opening about a quarter-mile from the plant when she heard sirens and walked outside to see a “huge plume.” She said she could hear what sounded like gun shots for about 15 minutes, and there was a strong smell of ammonia.
Stephanie Otto said: “It was huge. It looked like an atomic bomb went off.”
Lisa Wheeler, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokeswoman said that the plant deals with ammonia, as well as sulfuric, hydrochloric, nitric and phosphoric acids.
It mixes the chemicals for fertilizer and agricultural products.
From Interstate 35E just south of Interstate 20, close to Dallas, a giant plume of smoke can be seen rising from the Magnablend chemical processing plant in Waxahachie, Texas
Waxahachie Police Lt. Joe Wiser tells the Fort Worth Star-Telegram no injuries have been reported since the fire was reported at 10:40 a.m.
Images from WFAA-TV show the fast-moving fire engulfing a fire truck at the scene as firefighters nearby battle the blaze.
Magnablend Chemical Plant official Donald Golden told the station:
“My main concern when I got here was ensuring that everyone got out of the plant and were accounted for, which they are, everyone is safe at this time.
“That was the best news I got so far. Now, were just waiting to hear from the fire department as they respond to the fire.”
Magnablend’s website says it’s a chemical manufacturing company that makes custom chemicals for industries ranging from oil fields to industrial cleaning.
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