Fifth American Diagnosed with Ebola Virus

A freelance photojournalist with the Ebola virus has returned to the United States for treatment.

Ashoka Mukpo, is the fifth American diagnosed with the Ebola virus.  He was on assignment in Liberia for NBC News when he tested positive for Ebola last week and was sent back to the United States on a specially-equipped plane.

He is receiving treatment at the Nebraska Medical Center’s specialized isolation unit, the largest of four such facilities in the United States.

An American who also contracted Ebola in Liberia, Dr. Rick Sacra, was the first patient with Ebola treated and released at the Nebraska facility last month.

In Dallas,Texas, Thomas Eric Duncan, who also returned to the United States from Liberia, was listed in critical condition Sunday.  He has been hospitalized since September 28.

Ebola has taken about 3,500 lives in West Africa since the outbreak began last year. Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are the hardest-hit countries.