Saturday, October 11, 2014

Ebola victim Thomas Eric Duncan's family speaks out in anger over his care - New York Daily News


The sadness is shifting to anger.


The family of Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person to die of Ebola on U.S. soil, is speaking out about what they believe is "unfair" treatment that led to their relative's demise.


"No one has died of Ebola in the U.S. before. This is the first time," Duncan's nephew Joe Weeks told ABC News. "We need all the help we can get."


The Rev. Jesse Jackson is now a family spokesperson, hinting that legal action may be next.


"All I do know is that Mr. Duncan received late treatment and not the best drug," Jackson told the Daily Mail.


Rev. Jesse Jackson (l.) stands with Nowai Korkoyah (c.), the mother of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, as well as his nephew, Joe Weeks, as they speak to the media at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on Tuesday.Joe Raedle/Getty Images Rev. Jesse Jackson (l.) stands with Nowai Korkoyah (c.), the mother of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan, as well as his nephew, Joe Weeks, as they speak to the media at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on Tuesday.

The family is wondering why Duncan was not moved to Emory University Hospital, where now-survivors Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol underwent lifesaving treatment for Ebola.


Medical professionals at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital told Weeks that they were well-equipped to handle their uncle's case.


Weeks also suggested that his uncle did not receive the same care that was given to Ashoka Mukpo, the NBC journalist who is being treated in Nebraska with a blood transfusion from Brantly. He said he was told by officials at the hospital "that the blood wasn't a match."


It's unclear if a transfusion would have saved Duncan, Dr. Bruce Polsky, an infectious disease specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital, told the Daily News yesterday.



JIM LO SCALZO/EPA Dr. Kent Brantly survived Ebola and donated blood to a fellow aid worker who fell ill with the disease. IMAGE TAKEN FROM VIDEOAlex Sanz/AP Another aid worker, Nancy Writebol, was treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Duncan’s family argued that he should have been flown there for treatment. Dr. Rick Sacra was successfully treated at the Nebraska Medical Center.Stephan Savoia/AP Dr. Rick Sacra was successfully treated at the Nebraska Medical Center. Ashoka Mukpo, a freelance American cameraman helping to cover the Ebola outbreak in Liberia for NBC News, is also being treated in Nebraska.Ashoka Mukpo via Facebook Ashoka Mukpo, a freelance American cameraman helping to cover the Ebola outbreak in Liberia for NBC News, is also being treated in Nebraska.


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"It's completely undocumented as to what the effect of a blood transfusion from a survivor of the disease will do to someone in the midst of Ebola," he said.


Duncan also received an antiviral drug, which stops virus replication, whereas Brantly, Writebol and fellow physician Dr. Rick Sacra received antibody treatments, which render Ebola noninfectious.


Louise Troh, Duncan's partner and the mother of his teenage son, thanked Dallas and community officials for their support in a statement.


"Without their help, I can't imagine how we could have endured," wrote Troh.


Thomas Eric Duncan died Wednesday at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.LM Otero/AP Thomas Eric Duncan died Wednesday at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.

She also said that she expects "a thorough examination (into his death) will take place."


Duncan was initially sent home from Texas Presbyterian on Sept. 25 after visiting the emergency room with Ebola symptoms.


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mengel@nydailynews.com









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