The families of Texas Ebola patients Thomas Eric Duncan and Amber Vinson have spoken out following claims that Vinson, the second nurse who contracted the virus while nursing the late Duncan, was careless for traveling after being exposed to Ebola.
Vinson’s family released a statement on Sunday, reiterating that the nurse was cleared multiple times to travel. Last week, Vinson was harshly critiqued for her actions after caring for Duncan, who was the first person to die in the U.S from the virus, and boarding a plane – even though she called the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to alert them of her symptoms beforehand.
“In no way was Amber careless prior to or after her exposure to Mr. Thomas Eric Duncan,” the family said. “Suggestions that she ignored any of the physician and government-provided protocols recommended to her are patently untrue and hurtful.”
The family also slammed the media for their mischaracterization of Vinson and says that she is a “deeply committed nurse driven by a fundamental passion for helping others.” It was previously reported that Vinson traveled to Cleveland twice and could have exposed others to the virus.
Three of her family members were quarantined in Ohio, but haven’t shown any symptoms.
Family of #AmberVinson just released a new statement: pic.twitter.com/8ouxQ3sx0a
— Scott Taylor (@ScottTaylor19) October 19, 2014
Meanwhile, the CDC are planning new tactics to treat Ebola and more rules to protect those who are caring for the victims.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the CDC was planning to update its guidelines for Ebola treatment in light of the crisis in Dallas. The current protocol doesn’t mandate that health workers cover all of their skin, which he said creates an added “vulnerability.”
Thomas Eric Duncan’s family also released a statement, sending prayers to Nina Pham and Vinson. Pham was the first nurse to be diagnosed with the disease after caring for Duncan.
In a statement provided to WFAA, Louise Troh, the longtime partner of Thomas Eric Duncan, said that “our hearts go out to the two brave women who have been infected by this terrible disease as they were trying to help him.”
Vinson was the second person to have contracted Ebola in the United States after Nina Pham, another nurse at the Texas hospital. Both women have been moved from Dallas to hospitals that specialize in Ebola treatment.
Troh, whose fiance Duncan was the first person to have been diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., also thanked the Dallas community for their support.
“We have lost so much but we have our lives and we have our faith in God, which always gives us hope,” she said. “Even though the quarantine is over, our time of mourning is not over.”
Vinson is currently being treated at Emory Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, while Pham’s condition has been changed from “good” to “fair, stable” at a facility in Maryland.
SOURCE: Huffington Post | VIDEO CREDIT: News Inc.
