NBC's Chief Medical Editor Dr. Nancy Snyderman is going into quarantine after a member of her crew contracted Ebola while on location in Liberia. INSIDE EDITION has the story.
One of TV’s best known doctors, NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman, is going into quarantine after her cameraman came down with Ebola.
She reported, “We shared a workspace, we shared a vehicle, we shared equipment.”
Dr. Snyderman, the network’s Chief Medical Editor, is in Liberia on the front lines of the outbreak.
The 33-year-old cameraman was identified is Ashoka Mukpo, who grew up in Providence, Rhode Island.
Dr. Snyderman told Matt Lauer about the chilling news. She said, “Everyone here is hyper alert. Nobody shakes hands, there is no hugging. But I do believe we are at very, very, low risk.”
The cameraman is expected to be flown back to the U.S. in a private jet for treatment. His parents are speaking out today.
His father said on the Today show, "He is scared and worried. His spirits are better today. He knows he is going to come home. He knows he has just has a couple more days. His symptoms are fairly mild, with just a fairly mild fever."
It's easy to see how the NBC reporting team risked so much to bring the nation this important story.
Dr. Snyderman was seen on air just a day ago interviewing the taxi driver who drove Liberian citizen Thomas Duncan to a hospital.
In the report, Dr. Snyderman said, “This is the front door of Mr. Duncan’s apartment that he was renting in the small hamlet and it was in that pink house across the courtyard that the young woman pregnant with Ebola was calling for help and he responded.”
The driver was afraid to touch the sick woman but Duncan apparently did.
Dr. Snyderman asked the driver, “Did you help her get out of the car?”
“No, I did not help,” he replied.
Five days later, Duncan flew to Dallas.
Now, there’s growing concern about how the crisis is being handled in Dallas.
Duncan's family has been served with “communicable disease control orders” and are under legal quarantine in their apartment building. Cartons of food were delivered by the Red Cross. Duncan's 20-year-old nephew wore a sweat-shirt saying "You Only Live Once" as he carried the groceries inside. Cops are posted outside to make sure no one sneaks out.
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Incredibly, the apartment is only today being decontaminated. Hazmat crews arrived to remove the family and clean the house. The family car was wrapped up in plastic.
INSIDE EDITION’s Steven Fabian showed what the decontamination team is doing.
He said, “I'm with an experienced decontamination crew and they're going to show me how that process is done. This is the home of a woman who contracted a contagious disease. Not Ebola. This is a real decontamination, not just a demonstration.”
A crew member told Fabian, "We are going to be doing a lot of steam cleaning and disinfecting. Removing of any pathogens. Killing of all bacterias and basically get it back to a clean standing."
Fabian asked, "How similar is this situation to what will happen in Dallas?"
The crew member replied, "It will actually be very similar."
Meanwhile, Dr. Snyderman and her team face the next 21 days in isolation and anxiety.
For more information about Ebola, please visit the CDC website.
