U.S. Ebola Patient Dies: Stories Circulating Have Not Been Confirmed

The “first U.S. Ebola patient dies” story currently making rounds on the internet is unconfirmed at this time.

While I won’t go so far to say that it’s improbable that Thomas Eric Duncan will recover, there have been no official confirmations at the time of this post.

The rumor initially spawned from Reddit, where a user posted a story from Israel National News confirming the death. However, it’s worth mentioning that the site misrepresented Duncan’s name, identifying him as Thomas A. Duncan instead of Thomas Eric Duncan.

Furthermore, there were no legitimate sources noted. In fact, this is the whole extent of the “story.”

“Thomas A. Duncan, who became ill with Ebola after arriving from West Africa in Dallas two weeks ago, succumbed to the virus today (Sunday), reports Reuters. [NOTE: There was no link to a Reuters story, and nothing is currently coming up in News results.] Duncan was fighting for his life at a Dallas hospital on today after his condition worsened to critical, according to the director of the US Centers for Disease Control… The Dallas hospital that admitted him did not recognize the deadly disease at first and sent him home, only for him to return two days later by ambulance.”

Again, while this story could easily break in the direction of what Israel National News reported — Ebola throughout this outbreak has had anywhere from a 20 percent to 90 percent mortality rate, and there is no known cure in spite of successful experimental treatments which Duncan has not received — it’s currently a rumor. Therefore, if you see it circulating on your Facebook feed, make sure you proceed with caution.

Unfortunately, rumors and misinformation have been rampant since the Dallas Ebola outbreak.

In fact, one such rumor that people in Kentucky were coming down with the Ebola virus has since been debunked.

The internet — and in particular, social media — is just too fast of a method for false information to spread, and you should probably expect more of it in the coming days, as the CDC and other healthcare officials work to contain the virus in Dallas.

As for Thomas Eric Duncan, The Inquisitr will continue to keep you posted on any developments, including any further “U.S. Ebola patient dies” misinformation that circulates until receiving official word.

Do you think U.S. officials will be able to contain the Ebola virus and keep it from spreading to other parts of the country? Share your thoughts in our comments section.