A 33-year-old American who is currently on assignment in Liberia as a freelance cameraman for NBC News is one of the newest Americans to have contracted the deadly Ebola virus.
In an online report published by the network on Thursday, October 2, 2014, the patient, whose name is withheld for privacy, was selected to work as a freelance second cameraman for Dr. Nancy Synderman, the network's medical correspondent and editor currently in Liberia for the Ebola coverage.
The patient, who also is a freelance writer, became ill by Wednesday, with some fever and body aches. He immediately sought quarantine in the treatment facility of Doctors without Borders. By early Thursday, he was tested for the virus, which was later came back as positive less than 15 hours later.
NBC News feels encouraged since the patient had begun his treatment early. Moreover, the rest of the crew, including Dr. Synderman, did not show any symptoms as of this moment.
However, they are going above and beyond the recommended CDC guidelines. They will be flying the patient back to the United States for a more comprehensive treatment while the rest of the crew will take a chartered flight. Upon their arrival in the United States, they will be quarantined for 21 days, the average length of time for the virus symptoms to appear.
Last Tuesday, September 30, Thomas Eric Duncan became the first person to be diagnosed in the country with the Ebola virus. A Liberian citizen, according to sources, he was in the country to visit some relatives and friends, including his son and sister. It is believed that he contracted the disease while trying to assist a pregnant 19-year old woman who later died of the illness. He is currently admitted in a Dallas hospital while those he may have come in contact with are under quarantine.
