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  • Duncan's brother on CNN now

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    "We are in this breathing space before it happens. We do not know how long that breathing space is going to be. But, if we are not all organizing ourselves to get ready and to take action to prepare for a pandemic, then we are squandering an opportunity for our human security"- Dr. David Nabarro

  • #2
    Re: Duncan's brother on CNN now

    Transcript from Wolf Blitzer interview. The one that was just on was much shorter.

    We're also learning new details about the patient, Thomas Eric Duncan. Duncan's half brother, Wilfred Smallwood, doesn't believe Duncan knew he had Ebola when he left Liberia.

    Mr. Smallwood is joining us from Phoenix.

    Mr. Smallwood, thanks very much for joining us.

    First of all, have you been in direct touch with your half brother, and if you have, what are you hearing? How is he doing?

    WILFRED SMALLWOOD, BROTHER OF EBOLA PATIENT THOMAS ERIC DUNCAN: Well, as far as we're concerned, family, after the news of him betting Ebola and then taking to the hospital, we have called the hospital and they will not allow us to talk to him at the hospital.

    BLITZER: What can you tell us about his condition some what have you heard about that?

    SMALLWOOD: Well, as far as I'm concerned, they say he has Ebola. But we have not been able to talk to him. Only the kids and his wife, his woman.

    BLITZER: He came to Dallas to see his girlfriend, not legally married, but you and he, what, you have the same mother is that right?

    SMALLWOOD: Eric is my brother. We have the same mother. He was born in 1972 in Liberia.

    BLITZER: You came to the United States how many years ago from Liberia?

    SMALLWOOD: I came here 2005, some nine years in the United States.

    BLITZER: This is his first visit, your brother's, to the United States, right?

    SMALLWOOD: His first visit to the United States, yes.

    BLITZER: And there's some suspicion, because he had been in contact with a woman, a pregnant woman, in Liberia, Monrovia, just before he boarded that flight for Brussels and then Washington and then Dallas and this woman had Ebola, that he may have known he potentially could have had Ebola and wanted to get out of Liberia and get to the United States for treatment. You've heard that suspicion, to which you say?

    SMALLWOOD: Well, as far as we're concerned, in Liberia, is a country we help one another. This pregnant woman was walking and was falling and he ran to help her so she can't drop and hurt herself. Nobody ever know he had Ebola because Ebola is in the system. It's not on the body. I think you run to help the person, that's all. That's what we heard. The information. He didn't know the woman according to the story. He was pregnant woman and what we do in Liberia, our tradition, is to help somebody who needs help. BLITZER: He went to help. The trip that he had to the United States,

    Mr. Smallwood, do you know if that trip was long planned or if it was a last-minute decision?

    SMALLWOOD: Well, as far as I'm concerned, it was two weeks -- when he got his visa two weeks before he came he called and said I got my visa from the U.S. embassy. Gave me a visa. Now I can come there. When are you coming? I may be there next week or week after next when I get my ticket ready. We said OK. We are happy you are coming. After that we gave him some money. OK. I got my ticket already I will be there by next week. Finally he came. When he got to Dallas -- our mother talked to him and talked to him a lot. He was happy here with his family.

    BLITZER: You've been in the United States for nine years. Is it fair to say, for the last nine years, you have not seen your brother? Is that right?

    SMALLWOOD: For nine years, I've not seen my brother. We talk on the phone and text messages, that's all.

    BLITZER: Maybe Skype, stuff like that. Tell us a little bit about him, Thomas Eric Duncan. What's he like?

    SMALLWOOD: Well, Thomas Eric Duncan is a very hard-working person. He's the last child of my mother. He loves work a lot and we were refugees and I lived there and I came to the United States for -- and he stay there going to school. He went to school. He has some experience and something he did in school, and then he moved to Liberia after the refugees were over in Ghana. He begin life in Liberia, got his visa to come to the United States.

    BLITZER: Do you have any plans to go to Dallas to see your brother?

    SMALLWOOD: If I had a plan to go see him or he come to see me until this news broke of Ebola, we had a plan to go and see him because I haven't seen him for nine years, so it was our duty, I'm going to find a ticket to go to Dallas and see him. If I did, we would be in the house. My son is there right now. They're quarantined in place.

    BLITZER: Your son is being quarantined right now, that what you're saying?

    SMALLWOOD: He's with them. He lived there with them too. I just talked to them this morning. The woman and my son and all of them. I talked to them a few hours ago. I talked to them every day.

    BLITZER: So they can't leave that apartment. You've heard the news that Anderson Cooper reported, he poke with your brother's girlfriend who said he had been sick for a while, he was sweating overnight, sweating in the sheets. He had diarrhea. Only then did he go to the hospital emergency room where he was -- where he was vomiting. He had a fever. They sent him out. They said go home, gave him some antibiotics if you will, some pain medicine, and they just let him go back. You must be deeply -- your son has been in contact with him and being quarantined. How old is your son? SMALLWOOD: My son is 21 years old.

    BLITZER: What does he say to you?

    SMALLWOOD: When I asked him this morning and yesterday, about before this, before the announcement of Ebola, what happened to your uncle, he said he been here fine. We all be OK. He was trying to see if he can get a job here. I call him every day. He never tell me he was sick. He was laughing. Playing music. Until they say on Thursday. He got sick for the first time. Fever, they took him to the hospital. They went to the hospital. The doctor gave him some medications and said OK, go home. And sent him back home. When he came home, from Thursday, he was OK, Thursday. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday when he started getting a fever again. When they looked, he began to start vomiting, went to the bathroom, that's the time they had to call 911 for him. And the doctor said he had Ebola.

    BLITZER: How worried are you, Mr. Smallwood, about the potential condition of your 21-year-old son who's being quarantined inside that apartment which really hasn't been cleaned up since your half brother was spending the nights there sweating and potentially leaving some very contagious material in that apartment?

    SMALLWOOD: Well, I think at this issue now, we look to the CDC, who is responsible to get the people out of there and put them on prevention immediate and dot best they can do to that place. I'm just hearing from you that this man was in the bedroom sweating and all we know was fever. He started with fever and went to the hospital and the hospital sent him back home and gave him medications. On Sunday, when he started vomiting in the bathroom. My son said he vomited in the bathroom. We call 911 for him. That's it.

    BLITZER: Yeah. And only now we're told the CDC is sending medical contractors to that apartment to get the sheets, pillow cases, remove them, clean up that apartment. Are you scared about the fate not only of your 21-year-old son but others who are there, including your brother's girlfriend, and other kids, children who are there?

    SMALLWOOD: Well yes. I'm skeptical now because since you describe it this way, everybody is skeptical. This way, we're hearing the information he was sweating all along and the house has not been cleaned and they are quarantined there, that's a major problem to us, to everybody. That worries me now, yes.

    BLITZER: So your brother, obviously, understandably so, given the spread of Ebola in Liberia, he wanted to get out of there and two weeks ago you say he got the visa from the U.S. embassy in Monrovia to come to the United States and then you say a week later he actually bought the ticket and flew to Brussels to Washington Dulles International Airport and then to Dallas, Texas. Is it your -- I don't know if you spoke to your brother but did he say to you, I have to get out of here, because I'm afraid of Ebola?

    SMALLWOOD: No. He come -- he never even said. I'm happy -- I'm coming -- my son and my wife helped me I come to see them. We know it take him a long time to see his family. Coming to the United States to see the family he didn't mention Ebola, any sickness at all. He just came. He's coming to help his son, he live here. Regular and normal to visit your family and be with them. That's all we feel. He was here. We spoke and talk every day. OK. You're here. I'm fine. OK. I'm trying to find my way and come to see you guys. I try to do something. I'll come there. Maybe you come here too. Let me get money for you to come to visit me in phoenix. We discuss like that. Only recently now, they said Ebola. I don't think he knew he had Ebola. The second thing again, coming from Liberia to the United States you got to go through all the tests. I think he was tested in Africa too at the same time and went through a medical test and came to the United States. And if he had been the first time to the hospital and sent him back home with Ebola among the people, who should be blamed? Who? The hospital or my other concern, how does he get Ebola? Is it from here or Africa? That's the question.

    BLITZER: Apparently, he was in contact with a pregnant woman in Monrovia who had Ebola, wound up dying. And as you pointed out, he wanted to help her, saw her collapse, went over to help her. There's one suspicion maybe that's how he got Ebola. As you know, Ebola is pretty widespread in West Africa, including in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia.

    Wilfred Smallwood, we will stay in close touch with you. You're deeply concerned about your brother, deeply concerned about your son, 21-year-old son, who's there in that apartment. You're concerned about the other family members and friends who may have been in contact with your brother, Thomas Eric Duncan. Good luck to you. Good luck to all of them. And we'll certainly stay on top of this story.

    Thanks very much.
    "We are in this breathing space before it happens. We do not know how long that breathing space is going to be. But, if we are not all organizing ourselves to get ready and to take action to prepare for a pandemic, then we are squandering an opportunity for our human security"- Dr. David Nabarro

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