Second Texas man under evaluation for Ebola

A man who claims to have had contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who died Wednesday morning in Dallas, is being evaluated for Ebola after showing up at suburban clinic with symptoms viewed as consistent with the disease.

Staff at CareNow, an urgent-care clinic in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, called the city's emergency dispatch center to report that a patient was exhibiting symptoms of Ebola, according to a statement the city released on Wednesday. The patient told officials he had been in contact with Duncan, according to the statement.

The man has been admitted to the emergency department of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, which cared for Duncan. "Right now, there are more questions than answers about this case," the hospital said in a statement. "Our professional staff of nurses and doctors is prepared to examine the patient, discuss any findings with appropriate agencies and officials."

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Thomas Frieden said during a late Wednesday news briefing that as far as he knew at that time, the new patient did not have direct contact with Duncan nor was this second possible patient showing symptoms consistent with Ebola.

Dallas-Fort Worth TV station NBC 5 is reporting that the patient is an employee of the Dallas County Sheriff's Department and has been in Duncan's apartment. The statement said that firefighter-paramedics were transporting the patient and examining clinical staff and patrons at the clinic.

Frisco Fire Chief Mark Piland said at a news conference that the patient did not present with all of the symptoms associated with Ebola but "exhibited enough to trigger the preliminary screening."

Piland said the patient is considered low-risk and was not one of the 48 people under surveillance by health officials after coming into contact with Duncan. Piland did not confirm that the patient is an employee of the sheriff's department.

Frisco fire officials said that the department's hazardous materials and rescue units, two ambulances and a regional ambulance bus responded to the 911 call, along with Frisco police. Firefighter-paramedics who interacted with the patient are being decontaminated by hospital officials.

“The Frisco Fire Department is prepared and equipped to handle any hazardous incident," Piland said in a statement. “The city has invested a great deal of time, training and resources to ensure our residents' health and welfare.

A CareNow spokeswoman said staff at the clinic followed CDC protocol by calling 911. She confirmed that Denton County Health Department officials and the CDC cleared the clinic to reopen.

“CareNow followed all recommended guidelines for cleaning before reopening,” the spokesman said in a prepared statement.

Frisco Mayor Maher Maso said CareNow has been cleared to reopen.

If the man tests positive for Ebola, it would mark the second transmission of the virus outside of Africa. The first was a nurse who tested positive in Spain on Monday.