US Serviceman Screened for Ebola After ‘Flu-Like’ Symptoms

A United States serviceman who flew a mission to West Africa on Oct. 23 is being screened for possible Ebola infection after experiencing ‘flu-like symptoms’ on Wednesday, according to Joint Base Charleston officials in South Carolina.

Health officials said the unidentified serviceman’s risk of Ebola infection was extremely low, but they wanted to follow the most stringent safety protocols when they transferred him to Medical University of South Carolina for screening.

The patient recently returned to the U.S. after a three-hour stay in Liberia during which he did not leave his plane, said a spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Liberia is one of three West African countries experiencing the deadliest outbreak of Ebola in history. Almost 5,000 people have died after contracting the virus.

In Texas, the final person being monitored for a possible Ebola infection has passed the disease’s 21-day incubation period, ending the state’s Ebola crisis. None of the 177 people who came into contact with the state’s Ebola patients have been infected, Texas health officials said.

Ebola Expert Warns of Upcoming Tragedy in British Hospital

A leading expert on the Ebola virus said it is only a matter of time before a ‘tragedy’ occurs in a British hospital because of what he described as ‘failings of infection control’ in his country’s health system.

Dr. Simon Mardel, recently appointed as the World Health Organization’s clinical coordinator in the fight against Ebola, said failure to follow protocols would lead to medical staff being infected.

‘Standard procedures are not being followed closely enough,’ Mardel told The Independent. ‘This is a very unforgiving virus, and it’s a wake-up call. There is no more room for slip-ups. I do think there’s going to be a tragedy.’

Although Mardel sounded an alarm, he added that he believed the British health system would be able to prevent Ebola transmission to the public.

Zuckerberg Shuts Down Critic of Facebook’s Ebola ‘Donate’ Button

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg rarely responds to online trolls, but the billionaire made an exception Thursday after one of the social networking site’s users said Facebook’s ‘Donate Now’ button was a marketing ploy.

In response to a snarky query asking how much Facebook had donated to fight Ebola, Zuckerberg said that he ponied up $25 million of his personal fortune and Facebook was donating millions more to provide Internet connectivity in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Facebook’s ‘Donate Now’ button on users’ News Feed allows them to support one of three charities: International Medical Corps, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, or Save the Children.

– See more at: Ebola Doctor Cured, Released from Hospital