Facebook post
Ashoka posts on Facebook about the situation in Liberia;
Man oh man I have seen some bad things in the last two weeks of my life. how unpredictable and fraught with danger life can be. how in some parts of the world, basic levels of help and assistance that we take for granted completely don’t exist for many people. the raw coldness of deprivation and the potential for true darkness that exists in the human experience. I hope that humanity can figure out how we can take care of each other and our world. simple, soft aspiration for all my brothers and sisters on this earth who suffer the elements and the cold. may we all be free, loved, and tended to…
From Providence
0 CommentsMukpo is identified as a native of Providence, Rhode Island.
Treatment at Nebraska centre
Mukpo’s father confirms that he will be transported to the isolation unit at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha on Sunday, the same facility where Rick Sacra was treated. His mother, Diana Mukpo:
[He is] very, very frightened, but his spirits are relatively good. We intend to go wherever he ends up.
Cameraman has ‘low amount’ of virus
NBC says 33-year-old American freelance cameraman Ashoka Mukpo has contracted a ‘low amount’ of the virus and is quarantined in Liberia and will be flown back to the U.S. Mukpo had been on assignment in Monrovia with Chief Medical Editor and Correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman and three other NBC News employees. His prognosis is good. Staff note from NBC News President Deborah Turness:
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. We are also taking all possible measures to protect our employees and the general public.
The rest of the crew, including Dr. Snyder, are ‘being closely monitored and show no symptoms or warning signs’ but will be flown to the U.S. and quarantined for 21 days.
Splashed
Mukpo’s mother, Diana, says his virus is in the ‘early stages’ and she is optimistic he will be cured.
At one point he was trying to help decontaminate a car. He had most of the protective gear on, but he thinks something might have splashed on his body at that point. That’s one possibility, but really, one doesn’t know fully.
Mandatory isolation
The NBC News crew including chief medical correspondent Nancy Snyderman that worked with Mukpo are placed in mandatory isolation in New Jersey after a 21-day voluntary isolation agreement was breached. The state Health Department says the crew remains symptom-free and there is no reason for concern of exposure to the virus to the community. It doesn’t give details on the breach of the voluntary agreement.
NBC News interview
Mukpo discusses the effects of his battle with Ebola and his travels to Liberia in an interview with NBC News after being declared free of the virus.
I mean, there’s definitely some physical effects of this that I think are gonna last a while. But I can feel my strength coming back every day. And, I mean, there was a period of time that I was quite sick. And, you know, I was laying in a hospital bed and had no strength. Had various pains. And — and just all kinds of fun stuff going on in my body. I mean, I think it’s important in life to take risks for things that you believe in. But it’s also important to keep yourself safe. So, I mean, it’s hard to call Ebola a learning experience. But I think that I’m gonna walk away from this with some important lessons for the future.
Returns home to Providence
Mukpo returns home to Providence, RI on a chartered jet after being declared free of the Ebola virus. Mukpo is now requesting privacy. Dr. Mitchell Levy, Mukpo’s father:
He has said he will begin to write and speak about his ordeal, including with the press, but he wants to do it on his own time.