Texas Health Officials Say No Symptoms For Those Exposed To Ebola Patient

Texas officials announced Tuesday that none of the people who had contact with the Dallas Ebola patient have been showing symptoms of the deadly disease.

Over the past week, officials had been monitoring 48 "high" and "low" risk people who had contact with the patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, since he returned to the U.S. from Liberia last week. Four of those being monitored were Duncan's children, who were pulled out of school for the safety of other children after it was confirmed Duncan had Ebola.

"Honestly, this is a very critical week," David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said in a statement Tuesday. "A lot of monitoring has to take place."

Zachary Thompson, Dallas County's Health and Human Services director, told reporters that he has asked the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to also do a health sweep of the Dallas apartment complex where Duncan had resided before being sent to the hospital for his symptoms.

"I'm sure there may be questions about the apartment's safety for those who live adjacent to that unit," Thompson said. "I want an assessment done, especially for that area of the complex. I would hope it could be done pretty quick."

Hospitals across the country have stepped up their surveillance of possible Ebola symptoms after the Dallas hospital received criticism for initially turning away Duncan, despite the patient saying he was exhibiting symptoms of Ebola and had recently visited West Africa. Duncan was sent away with antibiotics, but he returned to the hospital three days later in an ambulance.