Transcripts For CNNW At This Hour With Berman And Michaela 20141008

Hello, everyone, im john berman. You understand us, or do you. Ive been around some of you. Im michaela pereira. Thanks for joining us at this hour. There is news about brand new steps here in the United States to keep ebola out of the country or try to, at least. Airports will start screening passengers who were entering the u. S. From the ebola zone, those are the west african nations where thousands of people are stricken with the deadly virus. Were getting new information about the plan to protect america. We want to bring in our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Elizabeth, hot off the presses, tell us how it works and more importantly when it will start. Michaela, we hear this additional screen willing start either this weekend or next week and its likely to be announced today that this is going to happen. So the way that it would work is that passengers who came to the United States and originated in one of the ebola stricken countries would be taken off into a separate screening process. What would happen is is that theyll get their temperatures taken. Not with the a thermometer in the mouth but a device thats pointed at the temple. They used this device when i was in liberia and leaving the monrovia airport on september 26. And so its not painful, it just doesnt take very long at all and so theyll check temperatures, ask folks you were in west africa, did you have any contact with an ebola patient, attend any burials . And also ask them if they are experiencing symptoms of ebola. Even if youre negative on all of these things no temperature, no nothing theyll ask how they can get ahold of you now theyre in the United States just in case they need to get in touch with you later. Michaela, john . Because of the ung Bush Administration patient. And thats the breaking news. And theres interesting news overseas on ebola that got a lot of peoples attention here. Its about the dog in spain. The dog of one of the ebola patients there. Spain says the dog needs to be euthanized because it could be a carrier. Well, 300,000 people have signed an online petition thattosave that dog excalibur. 300,000. Now, 3 4rksz 00 people have died from ebola, the United Nations Charities Say theyre not raising as much as they need to battle ebola, yet in the last 24 hours, 300,000 people are trying to save this dog. I love dogs but elizabeth, youve been to liberia. Are people missing the point here on ebola . Do they not understand whats happening to humans in west africa . You know, i think its very natural. People love their pets and when they hear about a pet being put down for possibly no reason, you have this emotional reaction. I understand that. But, john, you are right. There are so many other things that need to be taken care of that are way more important, really, than this particular dog. People are dying in droves everyday just for some basic reasons. We need more doctors and nurses in countries like liberia. We need more Health Officials in there to trace contacts and tell people that they need to stay at home in thats the case. There are so many other things that need to happen and its very murky as to whether or not this dog even has ebola and if he does could he possibly give it to a human being. So there are a lot of unanswered questions. Remember, this is ebola so this is something we dont know about. Its the kneejerk reaction many are also concerned about. Put the dog down and ask questions later. No, ask questions, isolate the dog, do some tests because this will help us understand things better. Elizabeth, you have been so great for helping us with all of this. Well be turning to you more. Later this hour well be joined by a missionary doctor who has spent plenty of final in liberia. He was there at the start of the ebola outbreak, even testifying before congress about it. We have many questions for him. Ouror big story this morninmorn morning, he appears to be an isis killer but sounds like any kid down the street. Speaking like any american, north american if you want to be specific. And now the fbi is asking for your help to identify this guy. According to authorities, this masked jihadi appears in the recruiting video flames of war released last month. The fbi has posted a portion of this brutal propaganda on its web site and what this man says on the video is quite chilling. Were here in the 17th Division Military base just outside the city of raqqa and were here with the soldiers of assad. You can see them digging their own graves in the very place where they were stationed. The video goes on to show the man and other militants apparently killing those men who then fall into that very grave. Joining us now, peter brooks, he is a former cia agent now a fellow at the heritage foundation. Peter, thank you so much. Im hoping that maybe you can help us understand why the fbi might reach out to people in north america and ask for their help. Im sure their intelligence officials are looking at this, combing over this video, trying to identify this man. Theyve got all that tech and all that intelligence on their side. Yes, of course. And this is a bit troubling because the fbi hasnt been able to identify this person and, of course, just a few days ago the fbi director in a televised interview told us they thought there were about 12 americans that theyre following fighting in syria with isis. Obviously this is 13. He did admit that he doesnt hes not sure what he doesnt know. So we should be pretty disturbed about this. This problem could be a lot bigger than just 12 americans overseas fighting with this terrorist group. Peter, what do you do with this video. Enough video, you hear this voice, you know, do you normally get help from people if youre with the intelligence authorities when you ask america do you know this man . I think so. I think there have been many cases that have been cracked, especially Law Enforcement cases, by reaching out to the public. Whether its a missing child or a fugitive on the run. So if you know something, you see something, say something. I mean, john, weve had 60 terrorist plots foiled in this country since 9 11 and a lot of that comes from people. John q. Public or jane q. Public telling authorities about things theyre concerned about. So besides the bio metrics, looking at this individual, trying to analyze his voice, looking at the distance between his pupils, they didnt have success with that so theyre turning to americans to perhaps identify this individual. Not just americans, it bears repeating that you said north americans because the fact is anecdotally i was visiting family canada last month and i saw a lot of headlines being made in canada about their own concerns about canadians leaving to go to join isis as well. You wrote an interesting oped this morning in the Boston Herald speaking directly to anybody who harbors any doubt about the isis. You write as events unfold it turns out to be worse than originally thought, even for many of us warning about them for a while. The Islamic State isnt just some passing thunderstorm. What do you think what recent developments do you think are underscoring the power of isis . We see these videos, we see the beheadings, they seem brutal. Why is there doubt lickering in peoples minds . Im not sure why there is a doubt. If you look at the facts on the ground, weve had an air Campaign Going back into august if you want to stretch it out and theyre doing pretty well. Theyre holding off the best military in the world. I think theres some problems with our campaign strategy, frankly, but 2 fact of the matter is they are persistent, theyre resistant, theyre still operating. Theyre doing things, theyre media savvy, theyre rich, powerful. The largest terrorist group weve ever faced. Its a terrorist army, mick clael so i think people really have to look at this with a sober eye, putting politics aside. I think we have a major threat to stability in the middle east and im worried about this coming here and i think this video that came out that was made public in the last few days really tells us that. Peter brookes, our thanks to you. A key city in syria is about to fall in isis but the pentagon says, no big deal, really. And shocking news about actor stephen collins, child molestation accusations. Well bring you some of the details and have a discussion ahead. [ female announcer ] when youre serious about fighting wrinkles, turn to roc® retinol correxion®. One week, fine lines appear to fade. One month, deep wrinkles look smoother. After one year, skin looks ageless. High performance skincare™ only from roc®. After one year, skin looks ageless. Save your coffee from the artificial stuff. Switch to truvia. Great tasting, zerocalorie sweetness from the stevia leaf. Were hearing reports from activists that u. S. Led air strikes in kobani, syria, have killed 40 isis fighters and forced isis to retreats from part of the town. And, in fact, i think we have yes, we do. Live pictures here for you of military aircraft. Were told theres two flying over the city of kobani. Still, u. S. Officials say isis will take kobani. However, theyre saying its not a big deal. Its not considered a big deal to the pentagon. The pentagon more concerned about taking out the terror groups leaders and infrastructure than about saving syrian towns. Thats why isis wants its black flag flying over kobani. It would give it more than 60 miles of pretty much total control of yarp in syria. You look at it right there from a selfproclaimed capital of raqqa all the way to the turkish border. I want to bring in arwa damon right now. Shes on the border between syria and turkey. Her camera right now is looking at that plane if we can get that picture back up again. Also joining us in studio, retired Lieutenant Colonel Rick Francona, our military analyst. Arwa, i want to start with you. As you are looking up, youre seeing these planes circle. I know that must be welcome for people in kobani, welcomed especially give than they probably heard overnight that the United States says its not such a big deal if that city falls. Yeah, and those words do not exactly resonate positivefully this area. Now, we have been watching two fighter jets over kobani for about, say, the last 20 minutes or so and earlier in the day we did see what we believed to be at least three Coalition Air strikes. We believe that they were Coalition Air strikes because the size of the explosion and the sound of it significantly different than the usual artillery barrage that we have been watching. Now, the kurdish fighters are saying that they did ben it from the handful of air strikes that did take place in the last 48 hours. They say that that those air strikes, especially those targeting isis vehicles, forced them, the ie sigs fighters, to advance on foot and than that gave them the advantage that they needed to begin pushing them back. But theyre still calling for many strikes and theyre still calling for a weapons corridor to be opened because they say theyre running low on supplies. Lieutenant colonel Rick Francona is here with us in studio and youre watching this with a keen eye. Tell us what youre seeing. Thats a b1 bomber, commonly called with the the bone. Hes got his swings swept forward, hes going as slow as he can. Hes probably looking for targets because theres nobody on the ground to point those targets out so hes relying on his eyesight to sew see whethers down there. If he can detect and isolate a target, he will take it out. Therein lies the problem, colonel. There are no people on the ground telling him where to drop his bombs so he has to just fly over and look as the city is on the brung of falling . Thats exactly right. This is the problem when you try to conduct air strikes in isolation without known designated targets. Give us specifics. Hes probably low there, hes up about 20,000 feet. Is he vulnerable there . Depends. They have air Defense Systems but probably not in that area. He is not up there alone. There are other aircraft were not seeing that are monitoring whats going on on the ground and any detx of air defense activity like a radar coming up will be met with other aircraft. What does that say to you. Weve been hearing koeb ban sni not a priority yet we also know theres a concern about potentially 10,000 to 12,000 people being civilians in the mix there. I think thats whats driving this is they realize the turks are slowing down the exit of these people out of this town and creating humanitarian disaster and we dont want to abandon these people to their fate at the hands of isis so theyre doing what they can. Its not ideal but eventually this town will fall. But and maybe give them enough time to get the people out. Arwa, you say obviously over the last few days the u. S. And its Coalition Partners have flown missions over kobani, they have dropped bomb there is. What effect has that had on the isis fighters and has it given these kurdish fighters battling them any reason for hope . It has given them a certain amount of momentum, the Kurdish Fighting force, that. Is its forced the isis fighters to advance on foot and the kurds have the advantage of knowing the ins and outs of the streets because it is after all their town and thats why theyre determined to protect it. That rhetoric coming from the uts, that sad reality that people believe kobani is going to fall, it causes anger and frustration here because so many of the kurds were speaking to feel that the coalition should have carried out these air strikes before isis was able to gain a foothold in kobani. They are doing what they can but they are running low on ammunition. They need an addition support. Theres an equal level of anger and frustration being directed towards turkey as well. The kurds have asked the turks to allow weapons to come through. The turks have effectively said no, were not going to do that until you officially join the free syrian army, the rebel fighters. Turkey also saying that at this point it is not considering boots on the ground. It wont be launching a Heroic Mission to save kobani. Rather turkey is saying it has certain conditions that need on met. They include a nofly zone. They include establishing a buffer zone and at that stage they say they will consider joining a broader coalition. They are also open to entertaining the idea of boots on the ground if that particular operation was not just targeting isis but also targeting the regime of Bashar Al Assad which turkey considers to be as big a threat to the stanlt of its syria, to the future of if entire region as isis at this stage so the kurds very angry and frustrated in all of this because they feel like theyre effectively pawns of these overarching politics. Arwa damon, we want you to stand by. We want to say thank you to you and Rick Francona. Right now we have a development in the ebola fight, the war being waged on ebola. Our Elizabeth Cohen has a development for us. Elizabeth, what can you tell us. This is a development i hate to give. Weve been told now by the hospital that Thomas Eric Duncan has passed away and i want to read you the email that we just got from the hospital it is with profound sadness and heart felt disappointment that we must inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7 51 a. M. Thats dallas time. Mr. Duncan succumbed to an insidious disease, ebola, he fought courageously in this battle. Our professionals, the doctors and nurses in the unit as well as the entire Texas Health Presbyterian hospital Dallas Community are also grieving his passing. We have offered the family our support and condolences at this difficult time. This is obviously just terrible news. I was just speaking with his nephew this morning. Yesterday afternoon they had so much hope because his Blood Pressure was going up, his temperature was going down, both of those good signs. I think the family will have a lot of questions for this hospital. They want to know why he was sent home when he arrived with a fever and having said that he had been in liberia. They will want to i know theyll want to know why it took nearly a week to get him an experimental medication whereas other patients who have ebola got those medications immediately. Theyll want to know why he didnt get blood products from someone with ebola, other patients have gotten blood products from people with ebola. They will have all of those questions for this hospital. Again, the breaking news, to. Mass eric duncan, the first person diagnosed with ebola in the United States is the first person to die of ebola in the United States. Elizabeth cohen, you have been watching this over the last few days looking at the efforts to save the life of this man. And you have noted that he was given these airport viral drugs but that he was already in such a bad way that the possibility of them making a difference was very, very low. Thats right. He got this antiviral drug called brincidofovir, its an experimental medication, ten days after getting sick. Thats a long time for ebola, which is a quickmoving virus. It is really not clear why it took quite that long. We know it took several days from the beginning because the hospital didnt think he had ebola and they sent him home even though they were told hed been in sleesh ya and had a never. It took nearly a week to get him brincidofovir whereas other patients got a drug or another experimental ebola drug immediately. So, you know, its never theres definitely some questions here. One of those questions as well, we received news that the journal frist nbc, the cameraman, the american cameraman that was transported back to the u. S. To receive treatment was able to get a blood transfusion there ebolasurvivor kent brandtly. Many people were wondering does that mean Thomas Duncan is going to get a blood inpollution frfu survivor and why didnt he . You were talking about the timing of when he got the medication. Do you get a sense blood would have made a different earlier on . Was it simply too late . Any medicine or treatment will work better the more quickly you get medication. So the sooner the better is definitely the rule of thumb. I it is unclear to me why that blood went to the patient in nebraska yet duncan, according to his family, never got a blood transfusion. Ive reached out to the hospital many times and said the he getting a transsnugs if not, why isnt he . And hay havent responded to my emails. His family said they were told a blood transfusion wasnt proven to be effective so he wasnt going to get one. The problem with ebola and i know you beth know this is that nothing is proven to be effective except for basic Supportive Care like getting someone fluids. But as far as these treatments, zmapp, brincidofovir, blood products, none of this is proven to be effective. Were in the middle of a crisis here. Theres no time to do those studies. Right now doctors are just trying whatever sort of makes sense. We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world, the breaking news, Thomas Eric Duncan, the first man to be diagnosed to be diagnose in the United States has died in that dallas hospital. Were joined by Elizabeth Cohen whos been outside this hospital monitoring the efforts to save him over the last several days and elizabeth, the fact that he did die and he is the first patient, i believe, to die of ebola here in the United States, others have been treated here. The fact that he did pass away, dhau does that speak to the virulence of the type of ebola he had . I dont think it necessarily speaks to the virulence of whatever they all have the same type of ebola, they all got in the western africa. I think what it really speaks to is how early treatment is so important. I heard this over and over again when i was in liberia. Mr. Duncan did not get early treatment. He came in on september 25 complaining of a foovever, tolde hospital he had been in liberia, they sent him home and he came back on the 28th. Those couple days are crucial. Ebola patients need whats called fluid management which is a fancy term for making sure someone doesnt become dehydrated and to go for those two or three days without the fluid management is huge. The other patients who have been treated in the u. S. From the stories that the reporting weve heard, they didnt go that far. Once they were identified as having ebola they got medical care much more quickly. Its just terribly sad. I think that we all had been hoping, hope against hope, that maybe he would fight it, especially since we heard a little bit of positive news. Elizabeth, why dont you stick with us . Clearly theres things we need to discuss but we want to bring in dr. Frank glover, hes a medical missioner and the president of shield in africa, the u. S. Company based ngo working in liberia. He also partners with the Christian Mission group that weve heard so much about. The very heroes that are on the front line working in this ongoing battle against ebola and, doctor, i know that you join us in our sadness about hearing that this patient, this young man by all accounts, Thomas Duncan, has lost his battle with ebola. Yes, thats very unfortunate that he has lost his life. But this is a very serious virus and, as youve said, time is of the essence, once a patient becomes ill with the disease and begins to experience diarrhea and vomiting and organ system failure, the chances of survival diminish greatly. In this situation its not over yet. If theres one thing we have learned from these countries in west africa that youve been dealing with so closely it is that its not just people are ill but also what to do after the passing. We have to expect that this hospital in dallas right now is taking very, very careful measure of their procedures at this point, doctor. Yes, thats absolutely right. The body remains infectious up to 72 hours after the patient expires. And so hes still a risk to those that would be handing the body. So what weve been doing in west africa is cremation and not embalming patients so as not to expose other workers to the virus and cokeep it contained. Which i know is something that goes against traditional practices in areas of west africa. And this is an important thing for us to notice as we talk about the battle going on here. It is raging and making terrible progress in west africa and, in fact, it was interesting, we were in contact with somebody on his wail there, an american doctor who were in touch with. He is now in monrovia and he was telling us via email that he has been in touch with samaritans purse and theyve been developing this kit, essentially a Training Program to help families take care of any of their loved ones that are sickened in their home. He admitted, doctor, that this is not ideal. There are so many risks about doing that but this is part of the battle but it is worrisome given the fact that you cant necessarily make sure all of the procedures are being followed and adhered to to a t. Help us understand the challenge there is. Well, the challenges are vast and hard to imagine. You see, the system, liberias Health System, was completely decimated during the war. And over the last ten years they have not at opportunity or ability to rebuild the system. And so when ebola did hit several months ago, they only had 50 doctors in country. And they didnt have an adequate number of Health Facilities which all shut down. So youve got 4. 5 Million People and only 200 beds to treat ebola patients and so now 90 of patients that have ebola are being turned away from the Treatment Center simply because theres no place to go and they go back and infect their homes. Entire villages are being wiped out so we now have depths of a thousand or more every week in liberia so this is a very, very serious situation. Were not able to build Treatment Facilities fast enough to keep pace with the vice, which is is now in the exponential phase. So we go from 10 to 100 to a thousand to 10,000100,000. So unfortunately were going to see a scale of death that we havent seen in modern times with this ebola outbreak. Lets hope, if we can, that that is not the case. I want to welcome our viewers again here in the United States and around the world. The breaking news is that Thomas Eric Duncan, the man from liberia who traveled to the United States and was diagnosed with ebola here, he has passed away in a dallas hospital. I want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen now who has been monitoring the situation outside the hospital. Elizabeth, we have learned a great deal just over the last few days about the power of ebola. I think some people thought, well, if it happens in the United States our hospitals are certainly deal with it. I think people may have thought you cant catch it out of africa. Nevertheless in spain there was a case contracted on european soil. So were learning a great deal more about the power of this virus. We certainly are learning a great deal about it and i think one of the lessons from mr. Duncans death is that this virus can move very quickly. We knew, but to actually see this happening in our own country, hes at a hospital which is generally recorded to be a good hospital but this can be a tough disease to fight especially you dont nab it early. I cant emphasize enough how important that is. Also even when you have a modern country like spain taking care of an yoeshs patient, something went wrong and that nurses assistant got infected and theres a need to look back and see what happened. Was there a problem with the gear . How she put it on or took it off . That needs to be investigated and answered. It shouldnt be allowed to happen and end there. Any point of weakness, weve already seen they are looking at how the travel history is taken. We are looking now even at the question of if animals like dogs can carry the ebola virus. Its interesting how the education of all of us is increasing vastly. We want to bring in dr. Jorge rodriguez, hes a certified internist, hes been here with us several times and he joins us on the phone. I know that given the news that we have received, the terribly sad news that Thomas Duncan, the patient from dallas, has died, what about the lovesed ones inside the apartment . We saw that all too well and you talked about that with us. Obviously that will be more of a concern now that the patient has died because they want to make sure these chemoare getting the kind of help they need. Of course, michaela. Thats correct. This disease still has a 50 to 90 death rate depending on the strain of it. So unfortunately, as sad that has and my my heart goes out to the family, this is not unusual in the scheme of things. I dont know if you know i did my training at baylor with the big triumvirate i know he got the best care but we have to be vigilant about everyone in contact with mr. Duncan. Youre right. This is a learning curve. We are learning a lot about the transmission of this disease. We just got a statement from the Texas Department of state health services. It says the past week has been an enormous test of our Health System but for one family it has been far more personal. Today they lost a dear member of their family. They have our sincere condolences and we are keeping them in our thoughts. The doctors, nurses, and staff at presbyterian provided by excellent and Compassionate Care but ebola is a disease that aings the body in many ways. We will continue every effort to on tan the spread of the virus and protect people from this threat. Elizabeth cohen is outside perez teerns hospital. You heard dr. Jorge mention he believed the hospital is giving terrific care. The statement says compassionate excellent care. Remind us of what was done and what was not done for Thomas Eric Duncan and perhaps the how the timing may have played into this. First i want to say that the hospital has never come out and said here wheeps we did, heres what we didnt do. So this is pieced together by talking with his family and making inquiries to the hospital. So in the very beginning he came on september 25 with a fever, abdominal pain and he said he had just travelled with liberia and he was not admitted. He was then admitted on september 28. As far as we know,less getting hydrated, which is crucially, crucially important with ebola patients. I mean, good fluid management, as they call it, is really you have no to save a life. Sadly it wasnt here. But it is often enough to save a life. Now, the other ways that ebolas been treated is with experimental treatment. So the two that have been used in this country are experimentmental medications. So medications that are not yet approved but are used with the permission of the constitution. So kent brantly and Nancy Writebol gotten a experimental medication called zmapp. Other patients in nebraska got experimental medications. Mr. Duncan did not get an experimental medication until he had been in the hospital four meerly a week, which is considerably longer than the other patients. The other treatment thats been used has been blood products, receiving blood products from someone whos recovered from ebola and thats believed that that might help. If you have the blood of someone who survived that might help you survive. Other patients in the u. S. Receive that. For example, the two patients treated in nebraska received that. Mr. Duncan. According to his family, did not receive. That ive asked the hospital several times if he did and they have not gotten back to me. Now, i want to emphasize that none of these treatments are proven to be effective. As a matter of fact, it is not sure if it worked at all. But doctors say doctors are saying we have to do something that makes sense and thats what theyve been doing. Well, he was the first patient to be diagnosed in america with ebola. Thomas eric duncan is the first to die from it on american soil. Were going to have more on this right here on cnn. Stay with us. Well be back in a moment. Ifyou may be muddlingble withrough allergies. Nger. Try zyrtec® for powerful allergy relief. And zyrtec® is different than claritin. Because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. Zyrtec®. Muddle no more™. Woman everyone in the nicu all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days. Everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. I wouldnt trade him for the world. Who matters most to you says the most about you. At massmutual were owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. If youre caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care Program Offers strategies that can help. A hi. Ty . Im new ensure active clear protein drink. Clear huh . My nutritional standards are high. Im not juice or fancy water. Ive got 8 grams of protein. Twist my lid thats three times more than me. 17 vitamins and minerals. And zero fat hmmmm. You bring a lot to the party yay new ensure active clear protein. 8 grams protein. Zero fat. 17 vitamins and minerals. In delicious blueberry pomegranate and mixed fruit. Nineteen years ago, we thought, wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad . So we gave people the power of the review. And now angies list is revolutionizing local service again. You can easily buy and Schedule Services from toprated providers. Conveniently stay up to date on progress. And effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our snapfix app. Visit angieslist. Com today. Cozy or cool . Exactly the way you want it. Until boom, its bedtime your mattress is a battleground of thwarted desire. Enter the sleep number bed. Right now, you can save 400 on our most popular bed. Hes the softy. His sleep number setting is 35. Youre the rock, at 60. And snoring . Sleep numbers even got an adjustment for that. You can only find sleep number at a sleep number store. Right now save 400 on our most popular bed, plus 36month special financing. Hurry ends columbus day. Know better sleep with sleep number our breaking news is the passing of dallas ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan. Texas Presbyterian Hospital in dallas releasing this this was that he lost his battle with ebola this morning. Obviously the entire staff at the hospital is concerned and grieving his passing and offering their support to the family as we do as well. Condolences are, we are told, pouring out to the family and to the people that they knew. Theres been a great deal of focus going on about whats going on in dallas over the last few days and a new focus from the administration about whats happening in these three west african nations fighting ebola right now. The secretary of state john kerry just a short time ago made a statement about ebola. He was meeting with the British Foreign secretary phillip hammond. Now i dont believe secretary kerry knew about the passing of Thomas Eric Duncan when he made this statement. Still, lets listen to what he says. Im here this morning to make an urgent plea to countries in the world to step up even furth further. While we are making progress, we are not where we can say that we are where we need to be and there are Additional Needs that have to be met in order for the Global Community to be able to properly respond to this challenge and to make sure that we protect people in all of our countries. Were not where we need to be. Thats the message from so many in terms of the treatment in west african countries, the money being spent or perhaps the procedures in place in the u. S. As well. Now that a patient in america has died, im sure the call for more to be done interesting, because today just at the start of the show we were talking to Elizabeth Cohen about increased screening and what was going to be done at our airports, flights coming into the United States. We want to bring back people that have been joining us. Elizabeth cohen is live in dallas, we have dr. Frank glover with us as well as dr. Jorge rodriguez who joins us on the phone. Dr. Glover, i want to ask you because i think one of the things people will wonder is that we know that this man, Thomas Duncan, did not receive this highly experimental antiviral drug, we also know he didnt get a transfusion from a survivor but we know he was getting excellent care from the american Health System. Help us understand why some people can survive. We know the fatality rate is incredibly high. In west africa there are people that can survive ebola. Is there any way for us to understand why some can win the fight and others cant . Well, thats a very good question and unfortunately we dont know the answer to that. More Research Needs to be done. When a patient is stricken with ebola, we as professionals try to stabilize a patient, keep the blood chemistries in order, hydrate the patient and give the patients body a chance to mount an effective immune response so the body will then fight off the virus. If we can keep the patient alive and healthy long enough. If the patient is not able to fight off the virus, then the other bans within the body become damaged irreparably by the virus and this leads to the demise of the patient. Elizabeth i want to bring in Elizabeth Cohen at Presbyterian Hospital. We know some people survive and some dont. We know here in the United States now almost a half dozen people have been brought back here, these missionaries and doctors, all of them have survived but Thomas Eric Duncan did not. What was the difference or was there a difference in their care . You know, sometimes you just dont know why some people die and some people survive. It may have something to do with each persons own internal chemistry and immune system. But we can also look at the treatment that he got. And so mr. Duncan sought treatment on september 25 but was turned away because they didnt think he had ebola and he ended up getting treatment on september 28. That doesnt sound like a long time but for ebola thats quite a bit of time. So how quickly you get treatment is crucially important it doesnt have to be fancy treatment but keeping someone hydrated, doing the things the doctor just mentioned, thats really sometimes people l what chemistrytor strain of the virus. Often its much more about how quick they they got care. Dr. Glover, you spend time with the missionary group in liberia you have seen the front line of this battle. On a day like today when we hear of a patient succumbing to ebola in the United States and yet were beingoned not to be concerned of an outbreak, you can see the fear some might have of an outbreak happening in the United States. Why do you think thats not likely to happen . Is it the robustness of the American Medical System . Thats in large part the reason. As doctor of Public Health, i have observed the response of dallas and community Health Officials thats been superb, textbook. They have isolated the index case, gotten in touch with all of the contacts, quarantined those that they needed to quarantine and are following the contacts with twicedaily vital sign checks, including temperatures, to ensure if they there should be another case that that person would immediatebly isolated and treated. So we saw the same thing in nigeria and we saw the same thing in senegal where they had cases come in, they used Good Public Health measures, namely isolate the patient, bring people need to be observed in for observation and they were able to stop the transmission of the disease in its tracks. And i am confident that we will do the same here in the United States. Again, the breaking news were covering right now, we just learned a few minutes ago that Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diaosiagnosed with ebola in the United States has passed away. We have dr. Jorge rodriguez on the phone, a Board Certified internist whos dealt with all kinds of epidemics and contagious diseases all over the world. Doctor, we learned just today the lust start implementing new screening measures for patients coming into the United States from the socalled hot zone, those three countries in west africa dealing with ebola. So we have these two pieces of news today. Whats next . Where does the cdc, where does the u. S. Health system need to go from here. Well, i think where we need to go is the direction that were going which is weer establishing systems to respond a lot more quickly to situations. We need to be able to have protocols in place for quarantine. I think vigilance well be doing when people arrive is absolutely essential. So i aflawed fact that we were going to be testing people for fever. So were learning and aware and thats where we need to be right now. I have a question for both you and dr. Glover, ill put it to you first, dr. Jorge, since youre on the line with us now. There have been some citizens that have said why are we allowing flights from west africa, from the socalled hot zone to come into the United States . Should we ban . Are you supportive of banning flights from west africa coming to the United States . Absolutely not. Ive never been in favorite of that for the simple reason that we first of all are picking one area, one type of people. And if thats the case, were being negligent. This disease could come from anywhere, from anyone who has had contact. Listen, my experience has been primarily with hepatitisc and hiv. Initially we stereotyped that it was a disease in this country just of gays. What we did was we missed the boat and the disease became rampant to the point where it killed 30 Million People in africa. So we cant just isolate one part of the world. This is a disease of anyone that has blood and thats the way we need to look at it. So we need to be aware, we need to be open to every possibility. Dr. Glover, do you agree with dr. Jorge rodriguez that its counterproductive to ban flights to america from west africa . I agree 100 with dr. Jorge rodriguez. We can not isolate in the that way. What we need toe do is continue to fight the fight but understand that we need to help build infrastructure in these countries. We need to build schools of medicine and Public Health and Research Facilities and Nursing Schools and schools of farm soy that they can deal with the next outbreak. We know that diseases occur. We know that ebola, for exampl is a recurrent disease. We have not seen the last of ebola. There is one right now taking place in uganda in Central Africa. And so we im sorry, in zaire in Central Africa and its also been in uganda. So we have to prepare for the next battle and to do that efficiently we need to begin thinking about Building Infrastructure in these affected countries. Dr. Glover, dr. Rodriguez, elizabeth, that there is a man who has passed away, Thomas Eric Duncan, our heart goes out to his family and those close to him, four of whom are in quarantine in dallas. I want to talk about them and what theyre going through right after this break. Come on lets hide in the attic. No. In the basement. Why cant we just get in the running car . Are you crazy . Lets hide behind the chainsaws. Smart. Yeah. Ok. If youre in a horror movie, you make poor decisions. Its what you do. This was a good idea. Shhhh. Be quiet. Im being quiet. Youre breathing on me if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. Its what you do. Head for the cemetery your customers, our financing. Your aspirations, our analytics. Your goals, our technology. Introducing synchrony financial, bringing new meaning to the word partnership. Banking. Loyalty. Analytics. Synchrony financial. Enagage with us. We are following the breaking news out of dallas that Thomas Eric Duncan, the first person diagnosed with ebola in the United States, has passed away. Were joined by Elizabeth Cohen who is outside the Presbyterian Hospital down there. Been following his treatment over the last several days. Elizabeth, here at cnn, weve been speaking with the family, those close to Thomas Eric Duncan for several days now. Anderson cooper had that interview with louise, his fiancee, girlfriend, partner. I spoke to a woman who calls herself his stepdaughter. Over the last few days, you sensed a growing frustration among that family over the way that this situation has been dealt with in dallas. I wonder if you can speak to that a little bit and also speak to what is next for this family, four of whom are still in quarantine. Reporter right. I sense that same frustration as i speak to family members as well. I think it came in there were Different Reasons for that frustration. One is, as weve said before, he showed up on september 25th and he had a fever, he had abdominal pain and he said, i was just in liberia. And the fact that he wasnt admitted, that he was sent home with antibiotics, that is obviously frustrating to the family because just missing a couple of days of good care could possibly its possible that that could have saved his life. I think the second point of frustration is that the family told me that they were pressuring the hospital to give him an experimental medication. We know that dr. Brantly and Nancy Writebol got zmapp. And they told me they were pressuring the hospital. But it took a while. He was admitted on sunday, september 28th. And he didnt get that experimental medication until the following saturday. So almost a week later. I know that was frustrating to them. I also heard from his nephew who said that they kept asking about blood transfusions or blood donations from someone with ebola, that was used on dr. Brantly. It was used on the two nebraska patients. And they were told that that wasnt proven to be effective so that he wasnt going to get it. I think that they felt that he only got the brincidofovir, because they pressured him into it. Jesse jackson talked about it on his radio show and had viewers calling into the hospital complaining. So i think they felt what experimental medication he did get when he did get it was because of their pressure. I want to hear the hospitals side of the story. They havent responded to numerous phone calls and emails. Elizabeth, a big thank you to you. If you have those questions, you know folks at home have them. We have certainly had them. I want to say a big thank you to dr. Jorge rodriguez and dr. Frank glover whos done a great job in joining us here on cnn talking about the work that hes done in africa and in liberia. Weve talked to several people from liberia who are concerned about the stigma being attached to them, im curious what kind of awareness campaign, what kind of support those communities are going to be getting, too. Elizabeth, just in the last few seconds here, give us a status report on the people theyre still monitoring in the dallas area. Reporter right. 48 people are currently being monitored. They get their temperature taken twice a day. Theyre supposed to keep track of their health, see if theyre feeling any symptoms of ebola. Five of those people are legally quarantined. So four family members have to stay in their residence that theyre in right now and a homeless man has also been quarantined because they were afraid they couldnt keep track of them. They were keeping an eye out for him. Elizabeth, thanks so much for joining us with that information. Weve just learned that Thomas Eric Duncan has passed away from ebola in the dallas hospital where he was receiving treatment. Cnn will stay with this story. You can get the latest online and on our air. Thank you for joining us. Im michaela pereira. Im john berman. Legal view with Ashleigh Banfield starts right after this break. T modern airliner, revolutionary by every standard. And that became our passion. To always build something better, airplanes that fly cleaner and farther on less fuel. That redefine comfort and connect the world like never before. After all, you cant turn dreams into airplanes unless your passion for innovation is nonstop. Unless your passion for innovation is nonstop. Its about getting to the finish line. In life, its how you get there that matters most. Like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. My doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. So he talked to me about xarelto®. Xarelto® is the first oral prescription blood thinner proven to treat and help prevent dvt and pe that doesnt require regular blood monitoring or changes to your diet. For a prior dvt i took warfarin, which required routine blood testing and dietary restrictions. Not this time. While i was taking xarelto®, i still had to stop racing, but i didnt have to deal with that blood monitoring routine. Dont stop taking xarelto®, rivaroxaban, unless your doctor tells you to. While taking xarelto®, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. Xarelto® may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. Xarelto® can cause serious bleeding, and in rare cases, may be fatal. Get help right away if you develop unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. If you have had spinal anesthesia while on xarelto®, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle related signs or symptoms. Do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. Tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures. Before starting xarelto®, tell your doctor about any conditions such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. Xarelto® is proven to reduce the risk of dvt and pe, with no regular blood monitoring and no known dietary restrictions. Treatment with xarelto® was the right move for me. Ask your doctor about xarelto® today. Hello, everyone. Im Ashleigh Banfield. Welcome to legal view. We begin this hour with another life lost to ebola. And this time right here in the United States. Thomas eric duncan was the first person to come down with the ebola symptoms right here inside the United States. As you probably know, he got sick in dallas, texas, just days after arriving on connecting flights from liberia in west africa. Our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining me live now from dallas. Im also joined live in new york by cnns legal analyst paul callan and on the telephone is dr. Ian lipkiom