Ebola patient dies in Texas

The man being treated after landing in the United States with Ebola has died, according to a hospital spokesman.

"It is with profound sadness and heartfelt disappointment that we must inform you of the death of Thomas Eric Duncan this morning at 7:51 a.m.," Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas spokesman Wendell Watson said in an emailed statement.

Duncan was the first person to be diagnossed with Ebola in the US since the outbreak of the current epidemic in March.

He flew to the US from Liberia on September 20, at first showing no symptoms, and was kept in an isolation unit in a hospital in Dallas after September 28. Dozens of people with whom he may have had contact are being monitored.

Duncan's condition had started to deteroriate, the hospital reported, over the weekend.

US takes action

Shortly after Duncan's death was announced, US Secretary of State John Kerry in a speech called upon the international community to do more to stop the spread of the Ebola virus.

"We need people to step up now," he said. "Now is the time for action, not words. And frankly, there is not a moment to waste in this effort."

Earlier in the day, the US had announced plans to screen all passengers arriving from the stricken West African countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea. The mandatory screening could be extended to passengers from other countries in West Africa and is expected to start as early as this weekend, as reported by CNN.

sb/mkg (AFP, dpa, Reuters, AP)