Texas Gov. Rick Perry has confirmed that the first US diagnosed Ebola patient, who is now in serious but stable condition in Dallas, had contact with children before he showed symptoms of the virus.

The patient, a male according to reports, was admitted on Sunday to an isolation unit at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital after seeking medical care there just two days prior. A spokeswoman for the hospital said Wednesday that the patient is now in serious condition, Reuters reported.

Edward Goodman, an infectious disease specialist at Texas Health Presbyterian hospital, said the patient’s symptoms were not clear at the time he initially sought care, National Public Radio reported.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on Tuesday that the man, who had traveled from Liberia, tested positive for the Ebola virus.

“This is the first patient diagnosed outside of Africa to our knowledge with this particular strain of Ebola,”CDC director Thomas Frieden said.

The virus is spreading rapidly in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, claiming more than 3,000 lives since March. Smaller outbreaks have occurred in Nigeria and Senegal.

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