DALLAS — By the end of Friday, Texas will be free of the deadly Ebola virus.
The last person being monitored in connection with Texas' three patients, a hospital worker who handled medical waste, is set to be cleared from twice-daily monitoring. Then the city and the state will be officially declared Ebola-free.
"Today's the day where Thanksgiving comes early this November because the Ebola crisis will be over," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Friday.
Thomas Eric Duncan was the first Ebola patient in the U.S. and died at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on Oct. 8. Two nurses who treated him, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, were infected but survived.
Texas recently cleared more than 160 people who were passengers on one of the flights taken by Vinson. About 177 health care workers, household contacts and community members who had contact with Duncan or his specimens were previously cleared.
"We're happy to reach this milestone, but our guard stays up," David Lakey, the state's health commissioner, said in a statement Thursday. "We reached this point through teamwork and meticulous monitoring, and we'll continue to be vigilant to protect Texas from Ebola."
The department and Texas Health came under severe scrutiny during the crisis.
In a letter to hospital employees, Barclay Berdan, CEO, Texas Health Resources, expressed appreciation for the efforts of Pham and Vinson and noted Duncan's battle with the virus.
"We are grateful that two caregivers who shared the fight against this insidious virus are healthy," he said. "These two courageous nurses, and so many others, put the needs of a patient first and valiantly worked to save the life of a man who faced, and ultimately lost, his battle with this disease. Today we remember and honor him, and his family remains in our hearts and prayers."
Jenkins said Dallas and the nation have learned a lot since the Ebola outbreak. He said it's painful to be the first to treat the disease, but he is proud of how Dallas' medical, philanthropic and faith communities stepped up to help.
The judge also said Dallas has created a national model for monitoring Ebola, which has been adopted by the state as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taking Pham's and Vinson's temperatures helped diagnose them and possibly saved their lives, he said.
The outbreak has led to changes by the CDC in better personal protection gear for nurses and they way medical waste is handled, Jenkins said. New monitoring measures are also in place at the five U.S. airports where 94 percent of people traveling from West Africa come through.
Jenkins said Friday that those affected by the outbreak have been trying to move on. Louise Troh, Duncan's fiancee, is looking for a new place to live. Vinson and Pham will go back to work after regaining their strength.
While celebrating is in order, Jenkins said many of Ebola's victims are still trying to heal.
"It's still a time of healing for them. It's not like there's a magical ribbon that will be cut today and this will be wiped out of their memories or that they'll be back to full strength, those who struggled with it, so we need to keep them in our thoughts and prayer," he said.
The last person being monitored in connection with Texas' three patients, a hospital worker who handled medical waste, is set to be cleared from twice-daily monitoring. Then the city and the state will be officially declared Ebola-free.
"Today's the day where Thanksgiving comes early this November because the Ebola crisis will be over," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Friday.
Thomas Eric Duncan was the first Ebola patient in the U.S. and died at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on Oct. 8. Two nurses who treated him, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, were infected but survived.
Texas recently cleared more than 160 people who were passengers on one of the flights taken by Vinson. About 177 health care workers, household contacts and community members who had contact with Duncan or his specimens were previously cleared.
"We're happy to reach this milestone, but our guard stays up," David Lakey, the state's health commissioner, said in a statement Thursday. "We reached this point through teamwork and meticulous monitoring, and we'll continue to be vigilant to protect Texas from Ebola."
The department and Texas Health came under severe scrutiny during the crisis.
In a letter to hospital employees, Barclay Berdan, CEO, Texas Health Resources, expressed appreciation for the efforts of Pham and Vinson and noted Duncan's battle with the virus.
"We are grateful that two caregivers who shared the fight against this insidious virus are healthy," he said. "These two courageous nurses, and so many others, put the needs of a patient first and valiantly worked to save the life of a man who faced, and ultimately lost, his battle with this disease. Today we remember and honor him, and his family remains in our hearts and prayers."
Jenkins said Dallas and the nation have learned a lot since the Ebola outbreak. He said it's painful to be the first to treat the disease, but he is proud of how Dallas' medical, philanthropic and faith communities stepped up to help.
The judge also said Dallas has created a national model for monitoring Ebola, which has been adopted by the state as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Taking Pham's and Vinson's temperatures helped diagnose them and possibly saved their lives, he said.
The outbreak has led to changes by the CDC in better personal protection gear for nurses and they way medical waste is handled, Jenkins said. New monitoring measures are also in place at the five U.S. airports where 94 percent of people traveling from West Africa come through.
Jenkins said Friday that those affected by the outbreak have been trying to move on. Louise Troh, Duncan's fiancee, is looking for a new place to live. Vinson and Pham will go back to work after regaining their strength.
While celebrating is in order, Jenkins said many of Ebola's victims are still trying to heal.
"It's still a time of healing for them. It's not like there's a magical ribbon that will be cut today and this will be wiped out of their memories or that they'll be back to full strength, those who struggled with it, so we need to keep them in our thoughts and prayer," he said.
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