Thomas Eric Duncan: 7 ways his Ebola case differs from others in U.S. By Faith Karimi and Catherine E. Shoichet, CNNUpdated 4:00 AM ET, Fri October 10, 2014Just WatchedPastor: Family devastated by Ebola deathreplayMore Videos ...Pastor: Family devastated by Ebola death 02:50Story highlights Hospital says he didn't get a blood transfusion because he wasn't a matchThomas Eric Duncan's nephew: "He wasn't given a chance"He wasn't hospitalized right away He wasn't immediately given an experimental drugHis family is devastated. The woman he planned to marry, haunted by the "what ifs." And many are wondering why Thomas Eric Duncan died when several other Ebola patients treated in the United States survived.Duncan was hospitalized eight days after he arrived from Liberia, and later tested positive for Ebola. He died Wednesday, but not much is known about his medical history. Here are seven ways his case differs from other patients in the U.S.: 1. Duncan wasn't hospitalized right awayUnlike the American patients, who were quickly tested and quarantined at the first sign of Ebola, Duncan wasn't. Just WatchedPartner of victim: 'His suffering is over'replayMore Videos ...Partner of victim: 'His suffering is over' 01:26PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedDid Duncan know he had Ebola?replayMore Videos ...Did Duncan know he had Ebola? 02:43PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedDid Duncan get the best treatment?replayMore Videos ...Did Duncan get the best treatment? 02:52PLAY VIDEODuncan arrived in Dallas from Liberia on September 20, and he made his initial visit to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital on September 25.He was treated for a fever, vomiting and abdominal pain -- all symptoms of Ebola. But he was sent home with antibiotics and was not screened for the virus. Relatives say he told hospital staff he'd come from Liberia.Three days later, he was hospitalized in worse condition and was quickly isolated. He became the first case of the deadly virus diagnosed on American soil."What if they had taken him right away? And what if they had been able to get treatment to him earlier?" said pastor George Mason of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. 2. He didn't get an experimental drug immediatelyDuncan received experimental medicine on October 4 -- six days after admission to the hospital. It was a far longer wait than four other Ebola patients treated in the United States. Those patients -- two each at Atlanta's Emory University Hospital and the University of Nebraska Medical Center -- got experimental medicine immediately. They're all U.S. citizens; Duncan was a Liberian. His family is claiming bias, arguing it took too long for him to receive the medicine. "It is suspicious to us that all the white patients survived and this one black patient passed away ... He didn't begin his treatment in Africa. He began treatment here, but he wasn't given a chance," said Josephus Weeks, his nephew. Not so, the hospital says. "The investigative drug was administered as soon as his physicians determined that his condition warranted it, and as soon as it could be obtained," Texas Health Presbyterian said Thursday.Since the drugs are still experimental, individual hospitals have to file the paperwork with the Food and Drug Administration for permission to use them. The agency received the request to use the experimental drug brincidofovir on October 3, five days after Duncan entered the hospital. 3. He got a different experimental drugDuncan got brincidofovir. And he was the first Ebola patient to receive it, the hospital said.Two of four patients who survived after treatment in the U.S. received a different drug, ZMapp. Experts say there's no proof that ZMapp or any drug is effective in treating Ebola. A Spanish priest infected with Ebola died after taking it in August. Just WatchedU.S. to check travelers for feversreplayMore Videos ...U.S. to check travelers for fevers 01:27PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedCDC: We can't get U.S. Ebola risk to zeroreplayMore Videos ...CDC: We can't get U.S. Ebola risk to zero 02:36PLAY VIDEOJust WatchedChief: Deputy was in Ebola victim's homereplayMore Videos ...Chief: Deputy was in Ebola victim's home 02:11PLAY VIDEOThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Duncan didn't get ZMapp because its stocks were depleted.A third American patient received TKM-Ebola -- another experimental drug approved by the FDA recently for wider use.The fourth one, NBC cameraman Ashoka Mukpo, who got infected in Liberia and was airlifted to Nebraska on Sunday, got the same drug as Duncan. Ebola drugs are in the works4. He didn't get a blood transfusion from an Ebola survivorUnlike other American patients, Duncan didn't get a blood transfusion from someone who'd survived the virus.That's because doctors couldn't find a match, the hospital said Thursday."Mr. Duncan did not receive the same type of serum transfusion as the patient in Nebraska (Mukpo) because his blood type was not compatible with the serum donors," the hospital said. Mukpo received a transfusion from Dr. Kent Brantly, who survived the virus.5. The hospital treating him had no advance noticeThe Atlanta and Nebraska facilities knew in advance they were expecting Ebola patients, a crucial element for a disease so rare in the United States. Hospitals that took care of the four are also among the most well-equipped nationwide to battle the deadly virus. Despite lack of notification, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital said Duncan got top-notch care and his medical team consulted daily with the CDC and Emory. 6. Information on his case has been muddledDetails on Duncan's background have not been as clear-cut. His relatives said he made it clear to the hospital that he had just come from Liberia. His symptoms pointed at Ebola, they said. Initially, the hospital said Duncan was "not exhibiting symptoms specific to Ebola" when he first went to the hospital. And, they said, details about his travel history weren't communicated to doctors. But later, it said a flaw in electronic records had kept doctors from seeing his travel history. Then it said his travel history had been documented and was available to his care team.7. Family believes his insurance status played a roleDuncan had just arrived from Liberia to visit his girlfriend and son, and probably had no insurance.The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who's serving as a spokesman for the family, said that was a concern. "I would tend to think that those who do not have insurance, those who do not have Medicaid, do not have the same priorities as those who do," the civil rights leader said.But the hospital denied the claim."Our care team provided Mr. Duncan with the same high level of attention and care that would be given any patient, regardless of nationality or ability to pay for care," the hospital said. "In this case that included a four-hour evaluation and numerous tests. We have a long history of treating a multicultural community in this area."Complete coverage on EbolaEbola outbreakHow the world reacted as Ebola spreadThe largest Ebola epidemic in history began with the simple act of caring for a child. Soon, it spread from the remote village in Guinea.Countries with travel restrictionsThe worst-ever outbreak of Ebola virus is stretching the medical capacities of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.Who is patient zero?Before the deaths soared into the thousands, before the outbreak triggered global fears, Ebola struck a toddler named Emile Ouamouno. The messy truth about EbolaWhat happens when you get Ebola? CNN's Miguel Marquez explains.Millions of vaccines planned by 2015 Health experts are fast-tracking tests for various vaccines, and hope to have millions of experimental doses by next year.How the Ebola virus spreadsEbola is a scary infectious disease but the first thing you should know is that it's not very contagious. 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How the world reacted as Ebola spreadThe largest Ebola epidemic in history began with the simple act of caring for a child. Soon, it spread from the remote village in Guinea.
Countries with travel restrictionsThe worst-ever outbreak of Ebola virus is stretching the medical capacities of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Who is patient zero?Before the deaths soared into the thousands, before the outbreak triggered global fears, Ebola struck a toddler named Emile Ouamouno.
Millions of vaccines planned by 2015 Health experts are fast-tracking tests for various vaccines, and hope to have millions of experimental doses by next year.
How the Ebola virus spreadsEbola is a scary infectious disease but the first thing you should know is that it's not very contagious. Here is how it spreads.
What you need to knowThese questions and answers will give you the latest information on the deadly virus and what's being done to stop its spread.
3 with Ebola will fly each monthUp to three Ebola-infected travelers might board an international flight each month in West Africa, according to a new study, and potentially spread the deadly virus.
Why some survive, some don'tThere's no cure for Ebola. So why have some patients walked away healthy while others in the West died?
Inside the world's worst outbreakA doctor at a government-run Ebola treatment center in Monrovia is too busy to mince words.
Stigmatized, abandoned orphansTwo children orphaned by Ebola play in the empty corner of a Liberian orphanage. Their parents died last month, and none of the extended family is willing to claim them.
Five ways the CDC got it wrongPublic health experts are asking whether the CDC is partly to blame for problems with Ebola in the U.S. Here are 5 things they say the CDC is getting wrong.
Can pets get or spread Ebola? The lack of solid protocol on what to do with Ebola victims' pets and what little is known about the risk has caused one dog to be euthanized and another quarantined.
A look at Ebola protective gearRosie Tomkins takes a look at the protective suits that are worn by some Ebola medical workers in Africa.
How hospitals handle Ebola patientsWhat's the protocol for health care workers if they suspect a patient has the virus
Ebola outbreak in West AfricaClick through our gallery as we track the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.