Ebola Virus Outbreak 2014: List of U.S. Cases in Cities & States News Update

Days after Liberian national Thomas Eric Duncan died of Ebola on October 8, while being treated in the U.S., there are two more confirmed cases of the disease in the country as of October 15, 2014. 

All these three confirmed cases are in Dallas, Texas, reports The New York Times.

Days after Duncan died, nurse Nina Pham was diagnosed with Ebola. Meanwhile, health worker Amber Joy Vinson, who along with Pham, cared for Duncan at the Texas Presbyterian Hospital, also tested positive for the disease, notes The New York Times.

As to the extent of potential cases, it all depends on whether the people who were in contact with Duncan while he was being treated at the Texas Presbyterian Hospital get through their 21-day monitoring period.

Not to mention those who were in contact with the two health workers who have contracted the virus.

Preventive measures

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on its website, cited the need for daily monitoring of persons for 21 days after exposure to the Ebola virus.

The CDC website also indicated that in addition to the three confirmed cases (Duncan and the two female health workers who cared for him) as of October 15, 11 other persons were listed as "contacts" which means that they have definite exposure to the virus.

CDC also placed the number of "possible contacts" at 107, which means that these people may have possible exposure to Ebola.

That's a total of 118 cases currently under close watch from the agency.

On October 15, U.S. President Barack Obama called a meeting of the cabinet to address matters to contain a possible outbreak of Ebola in the country.

Ebola scare

While there is no official report yet of infection of the virus in the city, a potential infection of Ebola may become likely especially in light of a report that Amber Joy travelled to Cleveland on October 10, just two days after the death of Duncan.

Amber Joy, according to The New York Times, have recorded a fever of 99.5 degrees on her flight back to Dallas on October 13.

There was also an Ebola scare in Boston late last week when a man, who confirmed to have also come from Liberia recently, was admitted to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, reports The Boston Globe.

The man was complaining of headache and body aches. Eventually, the doctors, after doing some tests concluded that the patient does not have the virus, the site said.

"He does not appear to meet the CDC criteria for someone at high risk for Ebola, and the likelihood of Ebola virus is extremely low," the hospital said in an official statement.

Rumors of the man infected with the deadly virus in the hospital resulted to the quarantining of several hospital workers and patients for several hours, The Boston Globe said.

The man, who has yet to be named, is still in isolation as his daily monitoring continues.

In early August, NJ.com reported of a person in isolation and under observation at the CentraState Medical Center for flu-like symptoms. The man was reported to have just returned from West Africa, were the Ebola virus is now spreading widely.

On October 14, the site updated the post by adding an update that reads: "New Jersey health officials said the patient at the hospital had no known exposure to the Ebola virus and that he was already released."

The NJ.com report also cited of a patient who went to the emergency room of the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City also in early August.

The patient, who had reportedly been to West Africa, was also placed in isolation while tests are being carried out on him.

Eventually, the New York City health department said that it was unlikely that the person was suffering from Ebola.