After two days of panic, the authorities in Texas have been successful in finding a missing homeless man who may have been exposed to the deadly Ebola virus. This comes at a time when the United States deals with the first case of Ebola diagnosed within the country in Texas. The man, who was reportedly in contact with the Ebola patient, had gone missing in the Dallas region creating panic until he was found.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins on Sunday said that a man identified as Michael Lively, who is believed to have been in contact with Thomas Duncan, the first Ebola patient in America, had gone "missing" after being monitored last on Saturday.
"We are 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," Jenkins reportedly said in an email statement, according to Dallas News.
The man is said to have travelled in the same Dallas Fire-Rescue ambulance that had carried Duncan to Texas Health Presbyterian hospital.
However, on Monday, Jenkins tweeted that the individual, who was at 'low-risk' of carrying the Ebola virus was found.
"The low risk individual who was identified by our local team as a contact has been found and is being monitored," he tweeted.
The man's photo was also shared on Twitter by reporters.
#EbolaDallas Sources: Michael Lively transported in ambulance after Ebola patient. Homeless man found after search pic.twitter.com/r4vsf5jL9Q
— J.D. Miles (@jdmiles11) October 5, 2014
According to Dr. Tom Frieden, director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the man had not shown any symptoms of the virus but will be monitored through the entire 21-day incubation period for any signs of the disease.
The panic in the state over the Ebola virus was evident as more than 800 calls are pouring in at the Centers for Disease Control.
Even as fears grow over the Ebola outbreak that has claimed more than 3,700 lives in west Africa reaching America, health authorities have assured that the virus would be "stopped in its tracks".
Duncan became the first patient to be diagnosed with the disease after he returned from Liberia and stayed in a flat in Texas with other members, with symptoms of the disease.
