Freelance NBC News Cameraman Tests Positive For Ebola In Liberia
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A cameraman for NBC News working in Liberia has tested positive for the Ebola virus, the network said Friday.
The freelancer, a 33-year-old American, was hired just Tuesday to assist in coverage of the outbreak with medical correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman, and came down with symptoms the next day. He sought treatment from a Medicins Sans Frontieres facility and tests results came back positive 12 hours later, the network reported.
The cameraman has worked in Liberia for the past three years and had most recently covered the outbreak for U.S. news outlets. It is unclear what his condition was Tuesday evening, according to a CBS News report.
The cameraman will be flown back to the U.S. for treatment at an unspecified medical center that is equipped to serve Ebola patients, according to a memo to staffers from NBC News president Deborah Turness.
"We are also taking all possible measures to protect our employees and the general public," Turness' memo said. "The rest of the crew, including Dr. Nancy, are being closely monitored and show no symptoms or warning signs. However, in an abundance of caution, we will fly them back on a private charter flight and then they will place themselves under quarantine in the United States for 21 days – which is at the most conservative end of the spectrum of medical guidance."
The cameraman makes the fourth American diagnosed with Ebola while working or volunteering in Liberia, CBS News reported.
Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantly were both infected while working at a missionary clinic outside Monrovia. Dr. Richard Sacra, fell ill just weeks after the first two. Each was returned to the United States for treatment and each has made recoveries, CBS News recalled.
And on Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that a man, who traveled from Liberia to Dallas to visit relatives, has become the first person diagnosed with Ebola in the United States.
Liberia officials said Thursday they will prosecute the man, Thomas Duncan, for lying on a health form before traveling.
Health officials in Texas said they have reached out to about 80 people who may have had direct or indirect contact with the man or someone close to him.
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