NBC Cameraman Tests Positive For Ebola, News Crew To Be Quarantined
An American cameraman, Ashoka Mukpo, working for NBC News in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola, the network reported Thursday. The 33-year-old was working with Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the network’s chief medical correspondent, and three full-time NBC employees who have been reporting from the scene since Tuesday, according to The Daily Beast.
[su_center_ad]Snyderman and the rest of the news crew will also be flown back to the U.S., where they will be quarantined for 21 days.
The Daily Beast reports:
“We have really worked hard to minimize our risk,” Snyderman said by phone from Liberia on Thursday night on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show. “Obviously, zero risk means never coming to Liberia.”
Snyderman described the usual Ebola symptoms as “fever, followed by vomiting, achiness, and sometimes diarrhea. The deaths occur because the vomiting and diarrhea are so severe that patients basically don’t have enough fluid, and then they run into clotting problems and they die from that.”
Snyderman added: “The good news is that this young man, our colleague, was admitted to the clinic very, very early. I spoke with him today. He’s in good spirits. He’s ready to get home.”
“We are doing everything we can to get him the best care possible. He will be flown back to the United States for treatment at a medical center that is equipped to handle Ebola patients,” NBC News President Deborah Turness reportedly said in a note to staff in regards to Mukpo. [su_csky_ad]
crc3 October 3rd, 2014 at 9:24 am
Not trying to create paranoia when it comes to ebola but has anyone thought about terrorists using the ebola virus as a weapon of mass destruction? Since they do not value life (even their own) what would prevent them from obtaining (contracting) the virus in some way and using it to infect thousands in this country or Europe?
mea_mark October 3rd, 2014 at 10:23 am
I wouldn’t be surprised if they are trying. The timing makes it difficult though, unless you have a passport. Getting infected and then sneaking into the country can be time consuming and you could die before you ever get here. It does make me think though that many lives could be in danger though in states like Texas that are on the border and didn’t expand medicaid. Someone could get sick and not be able to see a doctor and spread the illness causing many problems. Thank you Rick Perry for putting so many Texans lives at stake.
Cosmic_Surfer October 3rd, 2014 at 10:31 am
I find a real problem with your statement (Not that ebola wouldn’t be considered as a WMD by just about everyone. I am quite sure the US is working to weaponize ebola the way we have with Anthrax, Smallpox, Typhus…).
The idea that “terrorists” have no regard for life is false – most ideologues and freedom fighters have a strong regard for life…just maybe not yours. That’s based on statistical realities…1% of the population is psychopathic and not all “terrorists” are psychopathic.
One person’s “terrrorist” is another person’s freedom fighter no matter who and where he/she is
crc3 October 3rd, 2014 at 10:52 am
Then explain suicide bombers. They don’t seem to care about blowing themselves up to kill others and I don’t really think they are necessarily psychopaths either. Additionally there is an emerging concern that women terrorists are a growing threat. Frankly nothing surprises me anymore as I feel we are all vulnerable to global threats numbering into the thousands if not millions…
mea_mark October 3rd, 2014 at 11:09 am
I think it is the numbers that need to be considered. Not that many terrorist are actually suicidal. It just seems that way because of the attention they get.
Cosmic_Surfer October 3rd, 2014 at 4:06 pm
Suicide bombers care about a lot…They just believe they are acting for the greater cause…No different than the people we call heroes, throwing all caution to the wind, giving up any care for their personal safety, to go into a burning building, to try and shut down a nuclear facility to keep it from melt down, to run into a raging forest fire and try to stop it.
Hell, the latest Brad Pitt Movie glorifies a guy trying to send his fellow soldiers to safety while he mans a single tank against 300 Nazis (Fury)…Or want to try “Saving Private Ryan”?
Heroes for the cause giving up their life for the greater cause. Just happens, you are on the other side. If it was a guy in the US military strapping himself with explosives and walking into a building held by ISIS…….
Get perspective. Please. Wars are created because people buy the propaganda of us vs them…We create terrorists and are terrorists…Just in how one buys which propaganda
mea_mark October 3rd, 2014 at 11:07 am
This came out this morning and relates … http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/03/us-health-ebola-screening-idUSKCN0HS09J20141003
crc3 October 3rd, 2014 at 11:34 am
Scary stuff. Something else to consider…can or does the virus mutate into something even worse? Can it become airbourne and make people much more susceptible to the virus?
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/568558/20141003/ebola-virus-airborne-mutation-nightmare-happen-transmission.htm#.VC7BMKi8Dtc
tracey marie October 3rd, 2014 at 3:50 pm
and how will they get to their destination after somehow contracting the disease?
Cosmic_Surfer October 3rd, 2014 at 9:25 am
And in other news – cuts to the health budget, and to the CDC, in particular through sequestration and Congress’ budget psychopathy has assured that we are still acting on 19th century principals, procedure and treatment for 21st century pandemic threat.
Everyone seems to want to pour $billions into perpetual war in order to blow heads off a few extremists in the middle east (that we created and fuel by our exceptionalism and imperialism) but deal with the reality of global health? Not important until a guy lands in Dallas and some idiot doesn’t spread the word that the guy just traveled from Liberia.
If there were no other reason to remove everyone, and I do mean everyone from government, this would be the main reason for such actions.