NBC News cameraman in Africa Diagnosed with Ebola

[riverwalker]

(He was not a healthcare worker.)

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/nbc-news-freelancer-africa-diagnosed-ebola-n217271

NBC News Freelancer in Africa Diagnosed with Ebola

An American freelance cameraman working for NBC News in Liberia has tested positive for Ebola and will be flown back to the United States for treatment.

The infected freelancer was hired Tuesday to be a second cameraman for NBC News Chief Medical Editor and Correspondent Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Snyderman is with three other NBC News employees on assignment in Monrovia, reporting on the Ebola outbreak.
The freelancer came down with symptoms on Wednesday, feeling tired and achy. As part of a routine temperature check, he discovered he was running a slight fever. He immediately quarantined himself and sought medical advice. On Thursday morning, the 33 year-old American went to a Medecins Sans Frontieres
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[Louisiana1976]

1. I wonder how he caught it.

[kestrel91316]

7. Obviously he drank the blood of a victim or swam in a pool of their waste, because it's

REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to catch.

[TeeYiYi]

12. !

TYY

[C Moon]

72. +1

[still_one]

76. That is the problem they really don't know enough about it

[kestrel91316]

82. They know plenty. They know that it only takes 1-10 virus particles to infect and kill.

[Feron]

80. or had sex with an infectious person.

That's a more likely possibility.

[Marrah_G]

49. Well, he has lived in Liberia for three years and he is a freelance photographer

These guys/gals often take risks to get the perfect shot. In time we will probably have some articles/books from/about the people that were there fighting this and the people who survived.

[christx30]

81. From a related story I found somewhere...

Ashoka told his mother he has an idea of how he may have contracted Ebola. “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,” Diana said. Ashoka has been working in Liberia for the past three years, NBC said, adding that the freelancer had just been hired by the network on Tuesday.

[LostInAnomie]

2. Geez! Doesn't this guy know Ebola is almost impossible to catch!

[NightWatcher]

4. way back, could it be, yes, HOMERUN!

you winz teh internets today my friend

[JI7]

6. he is in liberia , i'm sure the situation there is different than if he was in the US

[kestrel91316]

8. It's the same virus.

[JI7]

11. it's more widespread there isn't it ?

[TeeYiYi]

14. It's no less contagious here...

...than it is in Liberia.

TYY

[JI7]

17. yeah, but being widespread means more places to catch it

[JaneyVee]

18. Of course it is.

Not technically, but we're far more advanced at containing and controlling it here, which goes a long way in terms of how easily contagious it is.

[TeeYiYi]

19. Maybe we're arguing semantics here...

...but, the people who came in contact with the Dallas ebola guy have just as much chance of contracting the virus as the NBC photographer in Liberia.

Same virus, same virulence, same contagion factor.

It's not the newer, kinder, American version of ebola. Ebola is ebola is ebola. If it's the same strain, it's equally contagious.

TYY

[JI7]

22. of course, but the chances of coming in contact with someone who has ebola is probably greater in

liberia.

[TeeYiYi]

25. I'll give you that...

...for now.

TYY

[JI7]

26. that was my point

[TBF]

56. So far. But now that it is in the US

it may well spread quickly here too. It just wasn't here yet.

[brentspeak]

69. So he "came in contact" with someone in Liberia who has ebola

Given that it's highly unlikely he was drinking this person's blood or saliva, we can say that simply being in the vicinity of someone with ebola makes one susceptible to exposure.

The disease is far more contagious than we are being led to believe.

[seabeyond]

28. yes. and they already isolated the people and are watching the people BEFORE

they can spread it to others.

that would be containment.

it is the shit for the 100 people that now have to spend under a month being monitored to watch for symptoms. but... they are aware. and it will stop the spread.

unlike the african countries

[TeeYiYi]

30. seabeyond!...

How the hell are ya'? It's good to see you...

Don't mind me. I'm just wandering into the murky waters of consternation.

Ebola sucks, no matter where it is encountered. I guess we'll see how this all rolls out, but I'm not resting on my American laurels.

TYY

[seabeyond]

34. tee....

lol. i am doing great. down to three. i have a tad bit of cushion. over a friggin month since a hide. yee haw.

i am about where you are. an interesting subject and hurts none of us to be informed on. just a bit different shift in perspective.

[TeeYiYi]

37. Don't squander that cushion...

...

TYY

[seabeyond]

54. are you kiddin'

i am all that in nice.

[kestrel91316]

20. Yes, but the means of spread is no different.

[JI7]

21. well, i would still feel safer visiting texas than visiting liberia

i'm thinking my chances of getting ebola would be less in texas although there are probably other things i need to worry about more.

[uppityperson]

36. Have you seen this article on conditions in W Africa, including photos of "hospitals"?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/02/world/africa/ebola-spreading-in-west-africa.html?_r=0

[mucifer]

48. Wow that is horrible.

[uppityperson]

57. It goes a ways to showing the differences between there and here. It is awful.

[TeeYiYi]

51. Without a doubt...

...conditions in W Africa are abhorrent.

That said, what about the people outside of hospital settings who sat in DallasEbolaGuy's airplane seats, touched the armrests, ate from his drop down tray, held the same escalator handles and used the same restroom facilities; sat in the same taxis with, again, the same armrests...

Just because it's America doesn't mean that ebola comes with guarantees of less contagion; especially with the 21 day incubation period.

I'll feel a whole lot better once ebola has been contained in the United States; but so far, I don't believe that it has been contained. In fact, I suspect we may be far from it.

TYY

[uppityperson]

55. I do not think it is contained, there will be other cases in the USA. However, please remember that

a person is not infectious until they have symptoms. Rather like someone sneezes in your face and several days later there you are with a head cold and sneezing.

[undeterred]

59. I wonder if the person who took those photos contracted ebola.

[uppityperson]

60. That is the sum total of your comment on the "health care conditions" and slide show?

I am glad you looked at the link. It is truly awful.

[undeterred]

62. I was thinking of the cameraman who contracted ebola.

Taking pictures like this requires walking into the infected areas. It can't be easy to take photos wearing gowns and gloves and a mask.

[uppityperson]

68. My apologies. I came back to Du to apologize for the snark.

It was uncalled for.

I read an article by either journalist or photographer that talked about how difficult it was to maintain staying 6 feet from everyone when they were so in need of care. Observing people die and not being able to do anything, even hold their hand, or cuddle a child, heartbreaking for them.

[undeterred]

70. Thanks.

I worked in a dispensary in a poor African Country so I am not shocked easily.

For some Africans "germs" seem like white peoples magic.

[uppityperson]

71. It is a very different place, cultures, ideas, beliefs.

We get used to how things are where we are, it can be difficult to realize so much is different elsewhere. Little things and big things.

I have not read, but wonder, if there is more up country vs in the cities. Do you know if they have shown locations of those affected?

[undeterred]

73. This shows locations

It started in a rural area in Guinea.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28755033

[uppityperson]

75. Thank you, appreciate it. Those poor poor countries.

it is heartbreaking

[SheilaT]

77. Thank you for posting that.

People here often have no clue just how different West Africa is from the U.S. Our worst hospitals are probably on an order of magnitude better than their best ones, and they have almost no doctors at all in those countries. Just go read what Laurie Garrett has been writing, going back twenty years now. However, something she put out six weeks ago needs to be read by all:

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/08/14/you_are_not_nearly_scared_enough_ebola_vaccine_west_africa_outbreak

Despite the fact the headline is You Are Not Nearly Scared Enough, she is NOT fear-mongering. She's telling us EXACTLY what it's like over there. The countries in question spend less than $100 each year per person in the country on medical care. Of any kind. Liberia had fewer than 200 doctors of any kind before this epidemic. There are probably more than 200 doctors in my city, Santa Fe, which has a population of about 70,000. Liberia? 4 million. Oh, and now there are about 50 doctors for the entire country.

West Africa is not something like Mississippi or Alabama, only with more black people. It is totally different, in ways that I'm sure none of us who've never been there can begin to guess.

[woolldog]

3. Dr. Nancy Snyderman to be quaratined for 21 days.

NBCs chief medical correspondent. I wonder what would possess someone to go to the heart of the ebola epidemic? seems reckless and arrogant at the same time.

[NJCher]

31. I thought going there was kind of nutz

I saw her on the Today Show and she was covered completely with goggles, head covering, and completely covered in a white hazmat suit.

Why would anybody do that? How much difference in the reporting does it make if she's there or not?

I'd never expose myself to those kinds of conditions. Not for any freaking job, that is.



Cher

[littlemissmartypants]

40. Agreed.

But maybe she actually feels the urging of a higher calling.
That or she is getting a hazardous duty bonus.
I hope it's both.

[AngryAmish]

41. People go anywhere to seek their fortune.

Why did the europeans go to africa in the 1800s?

[woolldog]

43. That's a good reason, but...

she's already made her fortune.

[AngryAmish]

46. Not enough, obviously.

She wants a best selling book and wants to be called brave by Oprah.

I want her to stay the hell away from my country. For about a month.

[woolldog]

47. lol

me too

[JI7]

44. because there ARE people who do want to help others , and if they have some special education,

background, knowledge etc it's even better.

and even knowing the risks they themselves would be at

[woolldog]

45. yeah, but she works for nbc not doctors without borders...nt

[TwilightGardener]

5. How did he come in contact with the virus? This is pretty weird.

[kestrel91316]

9. I dunno. It's a complete mystery to me.

[cwydro]

29. Yeah,

I mean is he from Liberia? Therefore maybe had contact with family members who may have been exposed?

This whole thing is getting a bit weird, and I start to wonder if we're being lied to about the whole thing.

Or maybe, they're just clueless. Which might be worse.

[Barack_America]

35. ? Wouldn't he be running around Liberia trying to get images...

...of Ebola's dead and dying? How much training in infectious disease precautions do you think the average freelance cameraman has?

There are probably more media than doctors in Liberia at the moment. If you want to know who's putting us at risk, it's these god damned media personnel returning home, not medical workers or West Africans (the majority of whom can't even afford to dream of a plane ticket here). Why do they all need to be over there anyway? How many close shots of dead people do we need?

[TwilightGardener]

38. Well, does he have friends or family members over there who are known to be sick? Or did he just

scratch his nose or stick a finger in his mouth to get something out of his teeth after touching a doorknob or toilet handle? He only joined NBC this week, so he probably caught it before he went on assignment.

[Marrah_G]

50. Since the news just came out, I suppose we will know those answers in time

The general public is not going to instantaneously get all the facts and details of each case right away, if ever. Being that this guy is a journalist, my guess is that in time there will be a pretty details story about his ordeal.

[TeeYiYi]

61. He's been there for three years...

...according to this article:

The cameraman, who also is a writer, will be the fifth American infected with Ebola and evacuated from West Africa. He has been working in Liberia on various projects for the past three years. http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/nbc-news-freelancer-africa-diagnosed-ebola-n217271

TYY

[mucifer]

63. Touching something that had some body fluids and wasn't properly cleaned maybe.

Then touching his hand to his mouth. Just a guess. But, the virus can live for a while out of the body. If he was in an area with lots of disease and not wearing a haz mat suit or not taking it off properly that's how he could get it.

[Marrah_G]

67. It doesn't last long outside the host.

SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: Filoviruses have been reported capable to survive for weeks in blood and can also survive on contaminated surfaces, particularly at low temperatures (4°C) Footnote 52 Footnote 61. One study could not recover any Ebolavirus from experimentally contaminated surfaces (plastic, metal or glass) at room temperature Footnote 61. In another study, Ebolavirus dried onto glass, polymeric silicone rubber, or painted aluminum alloy is able to survive in the dark for several hours under ambient conditions (between 20 and 250C and 30–40% relative humidity) (amount of virus reduced to 37% after 15.4 hours), but is less stable than some other viral hemorrhagic fevers (Lassa) Footnote 53. When dried in tissue culture media onto glass and stored at 4 °C, Zaire ebolavirus survived for over 50 days Footnote 61. This information is based on experimental findings only and not based on observations in nature. This information is intended to be used to support local risk assessments in a laboratory setting.

A study on transmission of ebolavirus from fomites in an isolation ward concludes that the risk of transmission is low when recommended infection control guidelines for viral hemorrhagic fevers are followed Footnote 64. Infection control protocols included decontamination of floors with 0.5% bleach daily and decontamination of visibly contaminated surfaces with 0.05% bleach as necessary.

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/lab-bio/res/psds-ftss/ebola-eng.php

[seveneyes]

10. Perhaps he did not know that

"Ebola is less contagious than the flu. Fact."

[LostInAnomie]

13. I'm sure he'll take great comfort in that...

... when he's vomiting blood.

[Aerows]

16. And his organs liquify

His friends and family will be so relieved when his eyes start to bleed that it is so difficult to catch.

[AngryAmish]

42. His eyes will not bleed. you are causing a panic

He will only bleed out of his tear ducts and throw virii into the ait every time he blinks.

[Aerows]

52. You are right

I shouldn't be concerned. It's only out of tear ducts and other bodily orifices that ooze blood when they get Ebola.

[AverageJoe90]

24. Well, it actually IS quite a bit less contagious. But it didn't stop him from catching it.

[JaneyVee]

15. Probably wasn't a good idea to go to Liberia.

[AverageJoe90]

23. Not good. This guy must've come into contact with bodily fluids at some point.....nt

[AverageJoe90]

58. Such rapid mutations are extraordinarily rare, though.

It has happened only ONCE that we know of, possibly, and that may have been the Spanish Flu of 1917-19, which isn't likely to reoccur again in any timescale we can immediately conceive.

[Kalidurga]

27. I think this is terrible, but

there might be some good coming out of this. At least one person was successfully treated in the US, what if most US patients can be successfully treated instead of having a 90% chance of death what if it goes down significantly. Perhaps treatment in hot zones can be revolutionized and bring the death toll down. At least that is what I hope can happen.

[NJCher]

32. two that I know of

Cher

[Kalidurga]

33. Good anything to get the 90% fatal number down

[Marrah_G]

53. The 90% number already goes WAY down with modern medical care.

Right now it is around 50%. The 90% figures comes from previous outbreaks, especially outbreaks in very rural areas without modern medicine.

50% is still very high for any virus though.

[Kalidurga]

64. 50% is high

It's a shame this problem isn't looked at like a world problem and more help isn't sent. I understand it's very dangerous for doctors there though. But, I think that something could be done to educate people so that they at least know how to reduce the risk of spreading the disease things like quarantine. The hospital I read about sounded like a nightmare. The doctors and nurses had virtually no protection. People with the disease were mixed with people who might have just had a non fatal virus. Really horrible stuff. If we could at least get the local population the tools to bring down fatalities that would be great. I hate knowing that this is seen as a local problem and that people are literally dying for lack of resources and lack of knowing how this is spread.

[Marrah_G]

65. They need equipment, transportation, logistics, training

At some point the wealthy countries will realize that what starts in these poor places eventually gets around to us.

[Kalidurga]

66. Yes exactly

I wouldn't propose sending in doctors though. I understand that some are willing to kill doctors because they think that they are responsible for the disease. I don't know how that started. But, it would probably be safe to bring local people out educate them and send them back to educate the people where they live. I think anyway it's hard to say given how horrific this is and how desperate people are to find scapegoats when epidemics strike. It sounds as bad as the black plague and from what I read about that, well superstitions ran high and some were accused of witchcraft.

[yeoman6987]

74. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The more the news the more I wish it was taken more seriously. Each day is worse and worse. And it all started with....it will never come to the United States. And then don't worry impossible to catch. The untruths in this mess are becoming unbearable to fathom. Who are they trying to protect by keeping the absolute truth from the American citizens? It is always the cover up ......just saying.

[Cali_Democrat]

79. What exactly is the cover up in this case?

[MattP]

78. Why do some of these posts read like Alex Jones?

What's up with the conspiracy talk?