Medical Records Reveal Dallas Ebola Patient Had 103 Degree Temperature
New information regarding the declining health of Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan has been released following his death this week.
Duncan visited Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, Texas on September 26 after returning to the U.S. from Liberia on September 20. While in Liberia, Duncan had been infected with Ebola after helping a pregnant woman with the disease get to a local hospital.
Although Duncan did not have symptoms en route to the U.S., he visited the Dallas hospital's emergency room on Sept. 26, complaining of intense abdominal pain, a headache, decreased urination and dizziness. Although the hospital performed several tests on him and noted that his fever was at an alarming 103 degrees, they sent him home and told him to take Tylenol to alleviate his symptoms.
Medical records from Duncan's hospital visit have been released by the man's family to the Associated Press. About 1,400 pages of records indicate nurses and doctors determined Duncan was "negative for fever and chills." It remains unclear why the medical report said Duncan did not have a fever when his temperature was recorded as 103 degrees Fahrenheit.
"I have given patient instructions regarding their diagnosis, expectations for the next couple of days, and specific return precautions," the emergency room report reads. "The condition of the patient at this time is stable."
Duncan passed away at the Dallas hospital after several of his organs failed after several days. Many of his family members, including his fiancé and several children, remain in quarantine.