--- title: Hospital Says Technical 'Flaw' Led to Initial Release of Ebola Patient description: Hospital says patient did not acknowledge being around anyone ill in Africa canonical: https://time.com/3458179/dallas-hospital-scrambles-to-explain-initial-release-of-ebola-patient/ author: Alex Altman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-10-03T03:05:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:33.992Z article:section: Health og:title: Hospital Says Technical 'Flaw' Led to Initial Release of Ebola Patient og:description: Hospital says patient did not acknowledge being around anyone ill in Africa og:url: https://time.com/3458179/dallas-hospital-scrambles-to-explain-initial-release-of-ebola-patient/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0e56f19d09908673/6986a67513c79f5e831942f2/ebola-texas-dallas-united-states.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: USA - Ebola Case in Dallas og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hospital Says Technical 'Flaw' Led to Initial Release of Ebola Patient twitter:description: Hospital says patient did not acknowledge being around anyone ill in Africa twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0e56f19d09908673/6986a67513c79f5e831942f2/ebola-texas-dallas-united-states.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Dallas Hospital Scrambles to Explain Initial Release of Ebola Patient > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=57aab151-0ba1-4709-a152-881aa82a9706&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Ebola’s Orphans Have No Place to Go [Watch (HLS stream): Ebola’s Orphans Have No Place to Go](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EbFfwt0W.m3u8) (1:46)  _Published 2014-10-02. Ebola’s Orphans Have No Place to Go_  by [Alex Altman / Dallas](https://time.com/author/alex-altman/)  ## Alex Altman / Dallas Altman is the executive features editor and deputy Washington bureau chief at TIME. Oct 3, 2014 3:05 AM UTC  A hospital staffer walks up to the emergency room at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Oct. 1, 2014 in Dallas. A hospital staffer walks up to the emergency room at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Oct. 1, 2014 in Dallas. G.J. McCarthy—Dallas Morning News/Corbis  by [Alex Altman / Dallas](https://time.com/author/alex-altman/)  ## Alex Altman / Dallas Altman is the executive features editor and deputy Washington bureau chief at TIME. Oct 3, 2014 3:05 AM UTC The Dallas hospital treating Thomas Eric Duncan, the first diagnosed case of Ebola in the U.S., suggested Thursday night that a technical flaw contributed to the decision not to admit Duncan on his first visit despite his declared history of travel to West Africa. Under pressure for its role in potentially exposing scores of Americans to the deadly virus, the hospital said in a statement that a flaw in its electronic health-records system prevented the doctor attending Duncan from seeing that he had recently traveled from Liberia, which was noted by the nurse who screened him. “Protocols were followed by both the physician and then nurses,” the hospital said, adding that the system, designed to help nurses administer flu vaccines, prevented the note on Duncan’s travel history from automatically appearing for the doctor. The hospital said it would amend the system to highlight whether patients had traveled to Ebola-stricken regions. “We feel that this change will improve the early identification of patients who may be at risk for communicable diseases, including Ebola,” the statement said. The statement comes as the hospital faces criticism for its decision not to immediately admit Duncan late on the night of Sept. 25, when he arrived with a 100.1°F fever, complaining of abdominal pains and experiencing decreased urination. Three days later, Duncan returned to the hospital far sicker, and was placed in isolation as a possible Ebola case. He tested positive for the virus on Sept. 30. The hospital’s decision broadened the pool of people who may have come into contact with the virus. Federal, state and local officials are now assessing about 100 people for possible direct or indirect contact with Ebola. At least four people with direct contact with Duncan have been quarantined in their apartment by order of Texas state officials. Facing criticism, the hospital in its statement defended its actions, noting that Duncan’s symptoms were “not severe” on his initial visit and “could be associated with many” other afflictions. The hospital also seemed to be scrambling to cast some blame on Duncan. “When Mr. Duncan was asked if he had been around anyone who had been ill, he said that he had not,” the hospital said. Duncan is thought to have contracted the virus while aiding an Ebola patient in Liberia shortly before embarking on his trip to the U.S. on Sept. 19. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] This is Berlinda. Her mother died of Ebola two weeks ago. She is one of the several hundred children orphaned by Ebola. So where do they go? Some of them go to Hope House. Where [ UNKNOWN ] Katie Myler is turning what was supposed to be a hotel into a temporary home for [ UNKNOWN ] orphans on Romovia. Construction is still going on, but Berlinda has already moved in along with three other children. So there will be room for 70 more. Not all of them are orphans. [ MUSIC ] The parents of these three year old twins are being treated for Ebola. Their grandmother, Martha Lane Freeman, is a nurse at an Ebola treatment center. Their mother and their is diagnosed of Ebola positive. She works 12 hour shirts and can't take care of the kids either . So they stay at Hope House. Where Marthalene comes to visit every day [ MUSIC ] She lets them talk to their parents on her mobile phone. Say hello. Hm. Many of the children are potential Ebola patients themselves. So the teachers are nurses have to be careful not to touch them without protection. We wear the PPE and then we hold them to show them love. In an ideal situation Ebola's orphans would be settled with relatives. Ten year old Esther survived Ebola but her parents did not. Even though she isn't contagious anymore her relatives refuse to take her in. Here she will have a loving home for as long as she needs. For Time. com, this is Erin Baker in Monrovia. 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