WASHINGTON
As many as 100 people may have had contact with the U.S Ebola patient since he first showed signs of the disease, Texas health officials said Thursday.
The list of contacts include several school children who are going to be monitored for symptoms of the virus while the patient's family members are held in isolation.
"Out of an abundance of caution, Texas and Dallas County health officials have ordered four close family members of the Dallas Ebola patient to stay home and not have any visitors to prevent the potential spread of disease," Texas health officials said in a statement.
At a press conference in Atlanta, the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Thomas Frieden, said that the patient came from Liberia and was in Texas visiting family.
American media outlets have given contradictory reports ranging from as few as 80 perople to as much as 100 who are currently being monitored because of possible contact with the Ebola patient.
The Associated Press cited a Dallas County Health and Human Services spokeswoman as saying that about 80 people are currently being watched for symptoms.
Between 12 and 18 people, including members of the ambulance crew that first contacted the patient have been monitored Erikka Neroes told the AP, noting that none of those individuals are showing signs of the virus.
The family of the patient to stay at home and remain isolated. "The local health department had previously instructed the family to stay home," read a statement from the Department of State Health Services. "But a strict public health control order is needed to ensure compliance."
Health officials say the patient’s family does not have symptoms at this time and that the order to stay home, in effect until at least Oct. 19, was hand-delivered Wednesday evening by local health officials.
Symptoms of Ebola include a fever higher that 100.5 F (38 C), headache, nausea, diarrhea or abdominal pain.
Ebola takes up to 21 days to show symptoms and infect the host but the virus is not transmitted before the host becomes ill.
The virus can be transmitted four days after an infected person becomes sick.
Ebola has killed more than 3,000 people across West Africa and infected several Americans who have traveled to the region.
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