Mike Stone / Reuters
A memorial service attended by many from the Dallas-area Liberian comunity was held Wednesday evening for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the United States. Texas Health Presbyterian announced earlier in the day that Duncan had died in quarantine. “It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7:51 a.m.,” the hospital said in a statement. “He fought courageously in this battle.” Duncan, 42, is also the first of five patients treated for Ebola in the U.S. to have succumbed to the disease. The Texas Department of Health announced he'll be cremated in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Duncan likely contracted the virus in Monrovia, Liberia, where he helped an infected, pregnant neighbor to get to the hospital. He was visiting Texas in order to marry the mother of his son, Karsiah Duncan, who attends college there.
Meanwhile, a second person in the area, Sgt. Michael Monnig of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department, was transported Wednesday to Texas Health Presbyterian for checks. Authorities said the deputy had entered the apartment where Duncan had been staying, and was being examined as a precaution. Monnig's son Logan told Fox 4 that, "We are 100 percent confident my dad doesn't have Ebola." As early as this weekend, officials at Kennedy International Airport in New York City are expected to put in place new screenings for Ebola for flights from West Africa, including taking passengers’ temperatures. Beginning next week, passengers at Washington Dulles International, O’Hare International, Hartsfield-Jackson International, and Newark Liberty International will be screened.