Texas Health Presbyterian announced on Wednesday that Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient in the United States, has died. “It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7:51 a.m,” the hospital said in a statement. “He fought courageously in this battle.” Duncan, 42, is also the first of five patients treated for Ebola in the U.S. to have succumbed to the disease. He is believed to have contracted the virus in Monrovia, Liberia when he helped an infected, pregnant neighbor to get to the hospital. He was visiting Texas in order to marry the mother of his son Karsiah Duncan, who attends college there. The CDC estimates that worldwide, nearly 3,500 people have died from the virus. As early as this weekend, officials at airports are expected to put in place new screenings for Ebola, including taking temperatures of passengers.
