3 ms·

I'm sorry, did Duncan's FAMILY lie on the form? While we're at it, did Duncan? It's fairly widely reported that he did not know that the woman he helped had ebo

I'm sorry, did Duncan's FAMILY lie on the form? While we're at it, did Duncan? It's fairly widely reported that he did not know that the woman he helped had ebola. Apparently her family had been in denial, and told people she was experiencing complications from the pregnancy. >Duncan did not know he'd been exposed to Ebola by the pregnant woman, says his brother-in-law, John Lewis. >"The family said that the girl did not die from Ebola; they continued to say it until they went and buried this girl," says Lewis. http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/10/09/354645983/fond-memories-of-ebola-victim-eric-duncan-anger-over-his-death http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/10/09/354645983/f... And in any case: how about you spend a little more time trying to feel compassion for people like you who just lost a husband/father/son and a little less trying to figure out who should get the bill.

Crito 12y ago
> "It's fairly widely reported that he did not know that the woman he helped had ebola. Apparently her family had been in denial, and told people she was experiencing complications from the pregnancy." She apparently died several hours later. If that is true, then while he was interacting with her she was extremely symptomatic. We're talking bleeding out of everywhere. Ebola is not a subtle disease, and she was not merely exhibiting flu-like symptoms at that point. Furthermore, the hospital turned her away because their ebola ward was full. While it is possible that he was an idiot who believed the claims that it was simply pregnancy complications, we're deep into "sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice" territory. And frankly, it is more charitable to Duncan to assume that he lied. Better a liar than an idiot of that magnitude. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Eric_Duncan#Timeline_of_contraction_and_initial_symptoms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Eric_Duncan#Timeline_of_... > "On September 15, 2014, the family of Ebola virus disease patient Marthalene Williams were unable to summon an ambulance to transfer Williams to the hospital. Their tenant, Duncan, helped to transfer Williams by taxi to an Ebola treatment ward in Monrovia, Liberia. Duncan rode in the taxi to the treatment ward with Williams, her father, and her brother. The family was turned away due to lack of space and Duncan helped carry Williams from the taxi back into her home, where she died shortly afterwards.[11]"
- pdabbadabba 12y ago
  Most Ebola patients never bleed profusely the way we imagine them to (though, as it happened, this particular woman was bleeding from the mouth). It apparently is actually very hard to distinguish from other tropical diseases in most cases. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/ http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/ In fact, that is why it took so long to identify and respond to the current outbreak. >Here, then, still in January, long before the outbreak took off, a team of doctors stood at ground zero, staring at some of the first casualties. They had no idea what they were looking at. > The way Ebola kills would seem impossible to mistake. What the casual observer knows of Ebola are its most spectacular cases, or the cinematic depictions of them: prodigious bleeding from eyes, ears, nose, anus, and nipples. Symptoms like these, presenting all at once, would be impossible to miss or misinterpret. But not every Ebola case ends with such a biblical scourge, and many of Ebola’s symptoms are identical to those brought on by other diseases. Until its final stages, Ebola can easily be mistaken for cholera. It can also look a lot like malaria, another long-tenured killer in Guinea. http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2014/10/ebola-virus-epidemic-containment http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2014/10/ebola-virus-epide... I don't know why it's so hard to believe that the woman's parents, in denial, said that she was merely suffering from serious complications from her pregnancy and he believed them. It's not as though he would have conducted a thorough exam. He just helped the family carry her a short distance. And, I should add, the very fact that he did this is probably the best evidence there could be that he did not know she had ebola.
  - Crito 12y ago
    Regardless, in this particular case it seems rather apparent that Duncan lied. If she was bleeding from the mouth and he was aware of it, in Liberia during an Ebola outbreak, then there at the very least he should have answered that "history of contact with ebola" question with a strong "maybe". I am suspicious of the family being in denial, but I don't think that it is impossible. However for Duncan to also be in denial is far less probable. It also should be noted that "I thought she had cholera/malaria" and "I thought she was having complications with her pregnancy" are two rather distinct claims. Had he said "I don't think that I had contact with ebola, but I did interact with somebody who seemed to have cholera recently..." then I would be far less critical.

Crito 12y ago

> "It's fairly widely reported that he did not know that the woman he helped had ebola. Apparently her family had been in denial, and told people she was experiencing complications from the pregnancy." She apparently died several hours later. If that is true, then while he was interacting with her she was extremely symptomatic. We're talking bleeding out of everywhere. Ebola is not a subtle disease, and she was not merely exhibiting flu-like symptoms at that point. Furthermore, the hospital turned her away because their ebola ward was full. While it is possible that he was an idiot who believed the claims that it was simply pregnancy complications, we're deep into "sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice" territory. And frankly, it is more charitable to Duncan to assume that he lied. Better a liar than an idiot of that magnitude. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Eric_Duncan#Timeline_of_contraction_and_initial_symptoms http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Eric_Duncan#Timeline_of_... > "On September 15, 2014, the family of Ebola virus disease patient Marthalene Williams were unable to summon an ambulance to transfer Williams to the hospital. Their tenant, Duncan, helped to transfer Williams by taxi to an Ebola treatment ward in Monrovia, Liberia. Duncan rode in the taxi to the treatment ward with Williams, her father, and her brother. The family was turned away due to lack of space and Duncan helped carry Williams from the taxi back into her home, where she died shortly afterwards.[11]"

pdabbadabba 12y ago
Most Ebola patients never bleed profusely the way we imagine them to (though, as it happened, this particular woman was bleeding from the mouth). It apparently is actually very hard to distinguish from other tropical diseases in most cases. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/ http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/ In fact, that is why it took so long to identify and respond to the current outbreak. >Here, then, still in January, long before the outbreak took off, a team of doctors stood at ground zero, staring at some of the first casualties. They had no idea what they were looking at. > The way Ebola kills would seem impossible to mistake. What the casual observer knows of Ebola are its most spectacular cases, or the cinematic depictions of them: prodigious bleeding from eyes, ears, nose, anus, and nipples. Symptoms like these, presenting all at once, would be impossible to miss or misinterpret. But not every Ebola case ends with such a biblical scourge, and many of Ebola’s symptoms are identical to those brought on by other diseases. Until its final stages, Ebola can easily be mistaken for cholera. It can also look a lot like malaria, another long-tenured killer in Guinea. http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2014/10/ebola-virus-epidemic-containment http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2014/10/ebola-virus-epide... I don't know why it's so hard to believe that the woman's parents, in denial, said that she was merely suffering from serious complications from her pregnancy and he believed them. It's not as though he would have conducted a thorough exam. He just helped the family carry her a short distance. And, I should add, the very fact that he did this is probably the best evidence there could be that he did not know she had ebola.
- Crito 12y ago
  Regardless, in this particular case it seems rather apparent that Duncan lied. If she was bleeding from the mouth and he was aware of it, in Liberia during an Ebola outbreak, then there at the very least he should have answered that "history of contact with ebola" question with a strong "maybe". I am suspicious of the family being in denial, but I don't think that it is impossible. However for Duncan to also be in denial is far less probable. It also should be noted that "I thought she had cholera/malaria" and "I thought she was having complications with her pregnancy" are two rather distinct claims. Had he said "I don't think that I had contact with ebola, but I did interact with somebody who seemed to have cholera recently..." then I would be far less critical.