U.S. Ebola patient's close relatives ordered to stay home

Four family members of the Ebola virus patient in Dallas are under orders to stay home so officials can check that they arent falling ill, health officials say.

In an update to journalists Thursday, federal, state and local officials said theyre closely monitoring thefamily members of the patient, identified in media reports asThomas Eric Duncan, whos been in isolation in Dallas since Sunday.

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The family members were issued a confinement order to ensure they dont leave the premises,said Dallas County chief executive Clay Jenkins. The order was appropriate "for the safety of the family and the safety of the public."

Dr. David Lakey, the commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, said food and groceries were being delivered to the family and professional cleaning of the apartment is being arranged.

"We didn't have the confidence we would have been able to monitor them the way that we needed," Lakey said.

The Ebola virus does not spread through casual contact, but throughclose contact with an infected patient or their bodily fluids.It can cause fever, vomiting,diarrhea, hemorrhaging and death.

Disposal of body wastes must therefore be done safely, for example, by sterilizing themunder high pressure at a hospital.

"The sheets were placed in a sealed plastic bag and have been in the bag, as well as the belongings of Mr. Duncan;those were also in a bag," Jenkins said.

Health officials are focusing on Duncans closest contacts such as family members, checking their temperatures twice a day to identify any illness as quickly as possible.

The closest contacts also include the ambulance workers who brought him to hospital on Sunday and a handful of schoolchildren.

Health officials said theyplan to expand their tracing of contacts from a group of 12 to 18 who came in direct contact with Duncanto about 80 others.

• Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf urges more Ebola aid

Earlier on Thursday, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf expressed concerns to CBCs Adrienne Arsenault about how the man carried the virus from Monrovia to Dallas.

"The fact that he knew [he was exposed to the virus] and he left the country is unpardonable, quite frankly," Sirleaf said. "I just hope that nobody else gets infected."

When Duncan first sought medical care for his symptoms, he told a nurse he had travelled from Liberiabut thatinformation wasnt widely shared with his treatment team, Dr. Mark Lester, who works for the hospital's parent company, told reporters on Wednesday.