The first confirmed Ebola patient in the US has been reported to be critically ill on Saturday.

The man identified as Thomas Eric Duncan has slipped from serious to critical while confined at a hospital in Dallas. Health officials said they were also tracking reports of the virus around the country, which later were as false alarms.

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Duncan came back to the U.S. from Liberia two weeks ago. Residents in Dallas were alarmed after learning the news after the fast spreading of Ebola from West Africa has been recorded to be at its worst. The outbreak started in March and has already taken away more than 3,400 lives.

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Thomas Frieden said health facilities in the country are expected to be more vigilant in checking possible cases from high risk patients. Frieden also said the concerns were directed to those who came in the country after recently traveling to western Africa.

Meanwhile, CDC has already tracked nine people in Dallas who had direct contact with the Ebola infected patient. Forty other people were also monitored out of 114 who were also evaluated for possible risks. Frieden said none of them showed Ebola symptoms.

Frieden also said during a news conference on Saturday that no new case of Ebola has been confirmed in the country. Meanwhile, a patient in Florida has been placed in isolation after admitting traveling to western Africa. Another patient in Washington DC said he had recently traveled to Nigeria but was ruled out to be uninfected.

CDC officials also took a sick passenger and his daughter from an airliner coming from Belgium. The patient said he too had traveled to West Africa. After conducting several tests, the man was declared to be free from the virus.

Ebola is a deadly disease causing a person to vomit and experience diarrhea and high fever. The virus is transmitted through saliva, blood and other bodily fluids.

TagsWest Africa, Thomas Eric Duncan, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Thomas Frieden, Washington DC, Florida