Joseph Howard Meier, the emergency room physician who misdiagnosed Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola case in the U.S., has spoken out for the first time about his treatment of the patient.
Meier told The Dallas Morning News that he didn't know Duncan had a 103-degree fever, and a high fever is a symptom of Ebola. He treated Duncan for a headache and abdominal pain and diagnosed him with sinusitis. Two days later, Duncan returned to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital and was diagnosed with Ebola.
When the paper asked Meier if his evaluation of Duncan would have been different had he known Duncan had traveled from Liberia, Meier said he would have contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and assessed Duncan for Ebola.
"But the likelihood would have still been low, since Mr. Duncan denied any sick contacts," Meier added, saying his treatment of Duncan was appropriate based on the facts provided to him at the time.