NBC Freelance Journalist Arrives In Nebraska For Ebola Treatment
The NBC freelance cameraman who was recently infected with Ebola while working in Liberia has arrived at a hospital in Nebraska for treatment.
NBC freelance cameraman Ashoka Mukpo contracted the deadly virus last week while working for the American media outlet in Monrovia, Liberia. Mukpo reportedly suffered from drowsiness and aches, and was confirmed to have Ebola by the local Doctors Without Borders camp set up in the country's capital.
After spending the remainder of the week in Liberia, Mukpo was transferred Sunday evening via private jet to Omaha, where he was then taken via ambulance to the Nebraska Medical Center, known to have one of the top isolation units in the country.
After her son's arrival in the U.S., Diana Mukpo said Ashoka was "enormously relieved" to be in Nebraska.
"He's enormously relieved to be here," Diana Mukpo told reporters. "Of course, it's still quite frightening, but he's hanging in."
Ashoka's father, Dr. Mitchell Levy, added that his son "gingerly waved to us" when he deboarded the plane in Nebraska.
"His symptoms are not more advanced when I talked to him before he left," he said. The journalist's symptoms are reportedtly expected to worsen in the coming days.
Both Mukpo and the patient in Dallas, Texas also infected with the disease are receiving experimental medication that previously helped cure American health workers of the sickness.
Texas Governor Rick Perry has also indicated that he will deploy a special task force to address any possible outbreaks that take place in Texas.
