Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan from Texas becomes US of A First Ebola Case – From Liberia to Texas in 5 days as Ebola goes Continent Hopping

“We have identified all the people who could have had contact with the patient while he was infectious. It is only someone who is sick with Ebola who can spread the disease.”

CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden during a News Conference on Tuesday September 30^th 2014 on the confirmation of the United States of America first case of Ebola

It comes as no surprise who the first Ebola case detected by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in the United States of America announced Tuesday October 1^st 2014 was, given the nature of Global travel!

He was a man who had travelled on an airplane from Liberia to Texas as reported in the article “First Ebola case diagnosed in the United States: CDC”, published Tue Sep 30, 2014 7:45pm EDT BY JULIE STEENHUYSEN AND SHARON BEGLEY, Reuters and “First Ebola case diagnosed in the US”, published 1 October 2014 Last updated at 13:11 GMT , BBC News.

Ever since my first Ebola article entitled “Ministry of Health confirms four persons with Chikungunya Virus – Chic-V Just Turn Up in the Hurricane Season as Ebola Virus is coming” , I’ve been expecting that Ebola would reach the West and eventually Jamaica.

I reiterated this point after Minister of Health Dr. Fenton Ferguson admitted to mishandling the Chikungunya Virus Epidemic now sweeping Jamaica as noted in my blog article entitled “Minister of Health comes clean on Chikungunya Virus Epidemic - 35 Official Cases as 60 percent possibly Infected and Medicines running low”.

The last time the world had a major Ebola outbreak was in Zaire in 1995 where Fruit Bats are a delicacy and global travel wasn’t so commonplace. Now, air and sea routes connect the entire world in one buzzing Global village.

So who is this man? Will Ebola spread through the US of A? And will it come to Jamaica?

US of A First Ebola Case – from Liberia to Texas in 5 days as Ebola goes Continent hopping

The man, a Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan, who was visiting family in the United States, had left Liberia on an overnight flight Sunday September 19^th 2014 and arrived on Saturday September 20^th 2014 as explained in the article “What We Know About the Texas Ebola Patient”, published October 1st 2014 BY MAGGIE FOX, NBC News.

By Friday September 24^th 2014, he developed symptoms of the disease, forcing him to seek medical attention at the Texas Health Presbyterian in Dallas, Texas. This suggest he initially came home and for 5 days, may have exposed more than just his family to the deadly disease as noted in the article “Close to Home: First Case of Ebola Diagnosed in U.S., CDC Confirms”, published September 30th 2014 BY MAGGIE FOX, NBC News.

Currently they're under quarantine and being observed over the next 21 days to see if they develop symptoms of Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever as follows:

1.      Diarrhoea

2.      Headache

3.      Intense weakness

4.      Muscle pain

5.      Rash

6.      Sore throat

7.      Sudden onset of fever

8.      Vomiting

Aside from this, any other news is pure speculation. Given its short incubation period of 21 days, which can be as little as 2 to 5 days depending on the health of the infected person, it’s highly unlike that this will blossom beyond an isolated incident. After all, it too five days after being infected in Liberia before Thomas Eric Duncan began to show symptoms and checked himself into the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital.

The US of A has vastly superior health care facilities. They'd be more than able to contain the outbreak easily, as those coming down with symptoms within five days would naturally seek medical attention.

Not to mention possessing vaccines and anti-Ebola Medication based on the case of the two health workers who were cured using the experimental drug, known as ZMapp, developed by San Diego, California based biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc as explained in my blog article entitled “Jamaica's Ebola Risk - How a ZMapp cured Americans of Ebola as Jamaica can become Guinea Pig to Test an Ebola Cure”. 

US of A is ok. The Caribbean, however, is another concern

Jamaica and Ebola - Ebola cannot come from America but directly from Africa

Thanks to the short incubation period, it's impossible that anyone displaying symptoms of the Ebola Virus can just board an aeroplane and come to Jamaica or anywhere in the Caribbean.

Then again, it can even come to Jamaica when Reggae Artiste Alaine Laughton and her equally talented compadre Christopher Martin return from their Africa tour as predicted in my blog article entitled “Alaine and Christopher Martin on Tour in Africa – Denyque is Reppin’ for Millennials on DRS 2014 as they'll return with Ebola Virus”, albeit that may be just me overreacting!

However, that doesn’t mean it STILL cannot come to Jamaica or the Rest of the Caribbean. Still, given our performance with the Chikungunya Virus this far, it isn't inconceivable that Ebola might come to Jamaica by way of a travelers from Africa.

Hence the heightened level of preparedness by the Ministry of Health as noted in the article “Health Ministry strengthens Ebola preparedness plan”, published Wednesday, October 01, 2014 10:27 AM, The Jamaica Observer and “Jamaica on high alert ... As Ebola reaches the US”, Published Wednesday October 1, 2014, The Jamaica Gleaner.

That was the worry of PM Kamla Persaud Bisselar, who convened a meeting in Port of Spain Trinidad to discuss Chikungunya and Ebola Virus and a CARICOM response to both as noted in my blog article entitled ”Trinidad PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar's CARICOM Meeting - Preventing Caribbean Chikungunya Virus and Ebola Virus Epidemic by Christmas 2014”.

CARICOM has since formalized a plan since Wednesday September 17^th 2014 on how to deal with the Ebola Virus should it come to the Caribbean as reported in “CARICOM working on Ebola response plan”, published Wednesday September 17, 2014 10:08 am, The Jamaica Gleaner and “Caricom formalizing recommendation on Ebola”, published Wednesday, September 17, 2014, The Jamaica Observer.

As for what happens next, we have to wait 21 days to see how the Ebola Virus spreads in the US of A before we brace for impact in the Caribbean. At that point we’ll see how the Caribbean will respond, which based on the Chikungunya Virus pandemic sweeping CARICOS as noted in my blog article entitled “31 infected during Jamaican Chikungunya Virus Epidemic - 113 Deaths in the Caribbean as Jamaica grapples with Chikungunya Virus Outbreak” may not be so good and may be fatal!