1st US Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan's kin settle with hospital that treated him: Reports

Several dozen nurses from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where Mr Thomas Eric Duncan was treated, gathered in front of the hospital to show support for their employer on Oct 20, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. -- PHOTO: AFP
Several dozen nurses from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where Mr Thomas Eric Duncan was treated, gathered in front of the hospital to show support for their employer on Oct 20, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. -- PHOTO: AFP

DALLAS (Reuters) - The family of the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the United States and the only person to die of the disease in the country has reached a resolution with the Dallas hospital that treated him, local media reported on Tuesday.

Mr Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian native, died at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on Oct 8. His family are set to announce details of the agreement on Wednesday morning, according to Dallas television station WFAA citing a statement from the law offices of Miller Weisbrod.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. The law firm was not immediately available for comment. The hospital also did not return requests for information.

Mr Duncan's death prompted questions about his care. He initially sought treatment two days before being admitted, but was sent home with antibiotics. Ebola experts later questioned the experimental drug he was given. Two nurses who treated Duncan were infected but ultimately recovered from the disease.

The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has killed over 4,900 people this year, although there are no current cases in the United States. Medical experts say Ebola can be transmitted only through the bodily fluids of a sick person with symptoms.

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