Thomas Duncan, the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the US, has died, reports The New York Times. Duncan was diagnosed with Ebola on 30 September and died just before 8AM this morning at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

The 42-year-old Liberian cargo driver was visiting his son and the mother of his son in Dallas when he began to show symptoms. He became infected when he helped a pregnant woman in Liberia who was suffering from Ebola get to a hospital. Upon his diagnosis, Duncan was placed in isolation and was eventually given a dose of the experimental anti-Ebola drug brincidofovir. Thus far, no one who came into contact with Duncan prior to his admission to the hospital has developed symptoms.

The Ebola outbreak has largely been concentrated in three African countries: Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Over 6,500 have been infected so far, and more than 3,000 have died.

Ebola can be controlled through routine hand-washing, and by using gloves and other barriers to prevent contact with infectious bodily fluids. Ebola can't be caught through the air. Only direct contact with the body fluids of a person who is showing symptoms of Ebola will spread the disease.