HOUSTON, Texas — The Dallas apartment unit where Thomas Eric Duncan, the Ebola patient, was staying prior to his diagnosis was reportedly cleared of soiled linens and his relatives have been quarantined by officials. Despite the apparent outbreak threat, children are walking freely around the apartment complex and appear to be calm.
The residents seen walking nonchalantly around the complex appeared to have no fear of the virus. One child was even heard saying, “I’m not afraid that anything is going to happen to me.”
Breitbart Texas’ Merrill Hope, who was at the scene, said, “I saw one had a little girl, maybe four years old, and a boy that was maybe 10 or 12.” Both children were in close proximity to the isolated unit where the Ebola patient was previously staying.
“At one point, school buses show up and there were kids with backpacks here,” Hope continued. “Throughout the day there have also been families with kids at home–there are lots of children living in this complex.”
The local sheriff was on the scene keeping watch over the situation. At one point, American Red Cross also arrived at the complex and dropped large boxes of food, water, and supplies in front of the quarantined apartment.
While the apartment complex residents appear to be calm, many around the nation are concerned by the situation.
The Ebola patient is thought to have come in contact with some 100 individuals prior to being diagnosed and put in isolation.
Breitbart Texas obtained a statement from the Texas Department of State Health Services that said, “We are working from a list of about 100 potential or possible contacts and will soon have an official contact tracing number that will be lower. Out of an abundance of caution, we’re starting with this very wide net, including people who have had even brief encounters with the patient or the patient’s home.”
Some may find relief in the fact that Ebola does not spread easily. Chris Van Deusen with the Texas Department of State Health Services told Breitbart Texas, “Only people who have come into direct contact with the blood or other body fluids of the Ebola patient while he was sick are at any risk of infection. If that’s not the case, there is zero chance of infection. Local officials (Dallas County HHS) may have information on the number of people being monitored, though I’ll note that’s different that being quarantined.”
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.
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