A Dallas County sheriff's deputy in Frisco who said he was feeling ill and who had been in the apartment of Thomas Eric Duncan, the man who died Wednesday of Ebola, has been hospitalized.
NBC 5 has confirmed the man is Sr. Sgt. Michael Monnig with the Dallas County Sheriff's Office.
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Sgt. Chris Dyer with the Dallas County Sheriff's Association said the symptoms exhibited were not Ebola-like, but because Monnig was feeling ill and had been at the apartment, he was transported to Texas Health Presbyterian out of an abundance of caution.
At 12:32 p.m., Frisco dispatch received a call from CareNow in the 300 block of Main Street, "regarding a patient exhibiting signs and symptoms of Ebola," according to a news release from the City of Frisco.
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"This patient had reported that they initially had been in the apartment of the initial Ebola patient in Dallas and had some contact with family members," Frisco Fire Chief Mark Piland said Wednesday. "I'd like to emphasize that at this time our information is that they had not had contact with the patient, but family members, and they had also been inside the apartment."
Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who became the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, died Wednesday morning at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
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Authorities in Frisco said Monnig is not one of the more than 40 people being monitored for Ebola.
The deputy's son, Logan Monnig, told the Dallas Morning News his dad had been monitoring his temperature since last week and on Wednesday morning, he told his family he had stomach pain and fatigue and as a precaution went to the CareNow clinic.
"We don't want to cause a panic," Logan Monnig told The Dallas Morning News. "There is almost no chance my dad would have Ebola. He spent very little time in the apartment and he did not come in contact with Mr. Duncan or any bodily fluids."
CareNow officials said the clinic staff followed screening protocol recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in contacting Frisco 911 for a fire department EMS crew to come to the scene.
As a precaution, the ambulance Monnig was transported in was draped in plastic, and he was escorted into Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas by medical personnel in full protective gear.
"We were told by federal officials, county officials that he would have to come in direct contact with Duncan or with direct contact with bodily fluids, and he did not. He was in the apartment for maybe 30 minutes which we're told is no where...like no chance," Logan Monnig told NBC 5. "We are just waiting to see, you know, make sure he doesn't test positive, and we're not expecting him to."
Health officials from Denton County and the CDC came to the clinic after Monnig was transported to Dallas.
CareNow said the clinic would be closed until Friday morning for deep cleaning.
Dr. Matt Richardson, director of the Denton County Health Department said in a statement Wednesday evening, "Because of the absence of contact to the Ebola patient or anyone symptomatic with Ebola, we see no threat to the public's health regarding this individual."
Presbyterian Hospital released the following statement about Wednesday's case:
"Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas can confirm today that a patient has been admitted to the Emergency Room after reporting possible exposure to the Ebola virus. Right now, there are more questions than answers about this case. Our professional staff of nurses and doctors is prepared to examine the patient, discuss any findings with appropriate agencies and officials. We are on alert with precautions and systems in place. At the same time, we are caring for routine cases which are completely separate in operations."
Frisco Fire Chief Mark Piland said approximately 14 people were in the CareNow clinic when Monnig walked in and those people have been checked out by medical officials and released.
The City of Frisco said firefighter-paramedics are being decontaminated by hospital staff in accordance with CDC guidelines.
When asked about the possible case in Frisco, CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden told NBC News that the patient doesn't have exposure or symptoms. Frieden said that it's to be expected that people will worry and hear rumors.
Frisco officials said they prefer anyone who thinks they've been exposed to Ebola call 911 and not walk into a hospital or urgent care facility.
On Wednesday night, the Frisco Independent School District released a statement, which said, in part:
"We know many of you have been watching news reports today regarding a patient who presented at a local clinic exhibiting flu-like symptoms and reporting possible exposure to the Ebola virus.
Based on screening criteria used at the clinic and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the Frisco clinic patient was transported to a Dallas hospital out of an abundance of caution. The patient is not a Frisco resident but lives in The Colony. He does not have children who attend Frisco ISD schools."
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