CDC now receives 800 daily phone calls over Ebola

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that the agency now receives an average of 800 phone calls every day since the Ebola scare came to town in the United States. This was revealed by CDC’s director, Dr. Tom Frieden during a news conference to address the location of a missing Ebola suspect who had some contact with Thomas Eric Duncan.

Dr. Frieden stated that his agency usually got an average of 50 phone calls per day from the generality of the American people over various health issues, but the phone calls have now jumped up to an average of 800 per day since the Ebola scare started, more so since the US has now diagnosed its first Ebola case.

He stated this at a news conference that informed the American people that a homeless man who went missing after having contact with Thomas Duncan has now been found and is being monitored for symptoms of Ebola. The Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins stated at the press conference that authorities had been on the manhunt for the homeless man after he had contacted with Duncan.

Jenkins described the homeless Texan as a low-risk individual, and that health authorities were “working to locate the individual and get him to a comfortable, compassionate place where we can monitor him and care for his every need for the full incubation period.” He however added that the man “has not committed a crime”. The man was being monitored before he escaped from the facility and went missing – but he’s now found and being monitored for symptoms again.

Dr. Frieden reported that Duncan’s health had deteriorated and “has taken a turn for the worse.” His health condition is now critical and a thing of concern to the authorities. Frieden also reported that the experimental drug ZMapp is not being used to treat Duncan because it is no longer available. He stated that “the drug pipeline is going to be slow. The most promising drug, ZMapp, there’s no more of it. And it’s hard to make, it takes months to make just a bit.”

There is no new Ebola case in Texas as at the moment, even though those that had contact with Duncan are being located and monitored. The CDC says they are sure they can stop Ebola in its tracks in Texas.