Ashoka Mukpo, the freelancer working for NBC in Liberia when he contracted Ebola, is free of the disease, according to NBC News President Deborah Turness, and will be going home to Rhode Island soon.
"We are so pleased with his swift recovery and touched by the enormous gratitude both he and his family have expressed to NBC News," Turness said in an email to staffers Wednesday evening. "It’s a meaningful tribute to everyone here who has worked so hard to get him the very best care. We’ll hear directly from Ashoka today when he talks to Kate Snow about his experience."
Mukpo had been hired only days before he contracted the disease earlier this month as a cameraman for chief medical editor Nancy Snyderman, who was reporting on the Ebola outbreak there.
Turness also said that the 21-day quarantine period for Snyderman and her team was over as of Wednesday, which means they had cleared the typical danger zone for contracting the disease.
"While in Liberia Dr. Nancy and her team delivered first class, first-hand reporting from the front lines of this tragic and monumental story," said Turness. "Their subsequent departure from Monrovia, their return to the U.S. and period of quarantine has been a challenging time. We have encouraged them – and they have agreed – to take some time off with their families and friends to help restore some normalcy to their lives. We very much look forward to their return next month."
