The United States' top infectious-disease doctor suggested Sunday that more people inside the country will be diagnosed with Ebola, but dismissed as 'far-fetched' concerns about somebody bringing the deadly disease across the U.S.-Mexico border in a bio-terror attack.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, told 'Fox News Sunday' that 50 people inside the country are now being monitored for the deadly virus and that the country's first confirmed patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, is back in critical condition at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
'I would not be surprised if somebody who has close contact with Mr. Duncan actual contracted Ebola,' said Fauci, who also repeated his faith in the U.S. health care system in being able to prevent an outbreak.
The recent outbreak of Ebola started in West Africa and has killed more than 3,400 people this year in the region.
The 42-year-old Duncan went to the Dallas hospital last week. He was mistakenly sent home, despite revealing he was visiting from Liberia, before returning by ambulance days later.
Ten of the 50 people being monitored for Ebola are considered high risk. Among them are four people who came in close contact with Duncan.
Fauci was highly skeptical about the argument that the contagious virus, transmitted through direct contact with a victim's bodily fluids, could be brought across the southern U.S. border, which illegal immigrants have routinely crossed over for years without detection.
'I wouldn't be worried about an illegal immigrant coming across the border,' he told Fox News.
Fauci also downplayed the threat the virus could be used as a bio-terror weapon.
'That would be ineffective,' he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Entities 0 Name: Duncan Count: 3 1 Name: Fauci Count: 3 2 Name: U.S. Count: 2 3 Name: Dallas Count: 2 4 Name: Liberia Count: 1 5 Name: Dr. Anthony Fauci Count: 1 6 Name: Fox News Count: 1 7 Name: Thomas Eric Duncan Count: 1 8 Name: Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Count: 1 9 Name: National Institute of Infectious Diseases Count: 1 10 Name: West Africa Count: 1 11 Name: United States Count: 1 12 Name: Associated Press Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1pQcwvn Title: Dallas damage control: Ebola-positive man possibly infected 10 in Texas Description: US health officials are monitoring 10 quarantined people who had contact with a Liberian man infected by the deadly Ebola virus. The individuals are being checked regularly as medical officials play down the risk of an outbreak.
