Key things you need to know about Ebola today
1. No joking about Ebola on airplanes. A man who sneezed and then allegedly joked about having Ebola on a flight from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic prompted a full-scale alert when a hazmat team in protective suits and breathing apparatuses moved through the plane to inspect it. The man reportedly told seat mates after he sneezed, "I have Ebola. You are all screwed." A hazmat team greeted US Airways Flight 845 from Philadelphia when it landed in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The 54-year-old jokester was taken into custody and will be sent back to the U.S. for further testing.
2. Federal hearing will be held Friday in Dallas to examine government coordination. U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican who chairs the Committee on Homeland Security, will hold a hearing at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to examine the federal, state and local response to the Ebola case in Dallas. Thomas Eric Duncan initially sought treatment Sept. 25, five days after arriving in Dallas from Liberia, and was sent home with antibiotics. He returned to the hospital three days later and was diagnosed with the disease. He died Wednesday. The case has raised questions about screening and treatment procedures.
3. Ebola patient's temperature spiked during initial ER visit. During Duncan's initial visit to an emergency room, the Associated Press reports, his temperature spiked to 103 degrees Fahrenheit — a fever that was flagged with an exclamation point in the hospital's record-keeping system. Despite telling a nurse that he had recently been in Africa and displaying other symptoms that could indicate Ebola, Duncan underwent a battery of tests and was eventually sent home.
4. Screenings to begin Saturday for passengers flying from West Africa to five major U.S. airports. Travelers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea arriving at five U.S. airports will have their temperature taken and face questions about their health in an effort to prevent the spread of Ebola, federal officials say. The stricter screening begins Saturday at New York's JFK and will be phased in next week at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Chicago O'Hare, Newark Liberty and Washington Dulles.
5. No second Ebola case in Dallas. A Dallas County sheriff's deputy who became sick after visiting the apartment of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan does not have Ebola. Michael West Monnig went to an urgent care facility Wednesday with stomach pains. When he told the medical staff that he had been in Duncan's apartment, the facility was shut down and he was taken to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, the same hospital where Duncan died that morning. Tests found Monnig had an upper respiratory infection and was released Thursday from the hospital.
6. More American troops on the ground to help fight the Ebola virus. Six U.S. military planes arrived in Liberia Thursday with more Marines to help fight the virus. The 100 additional Marines bring to just over 300 the number of American troops in the country, said Maj. Gen. Darryl A. Williams, the commander leading the U.S. response, told the Associated Press. The U.S. military is working to build medical centers in Liberia and may send up to 4,000 soldiers to help with the Ebola crisis.
7. More than 4,000 people are dead from Ebola. The Ebola outbreak has resulted in 4,033 deaths, the World Health Organization reported Friday — all but nine of them in the three worst-affected countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The agency says 8,399 confirmed, probable and suspected cases of Ebola had been reported from seven countries as of Wednesday.