Everyone Is Trying To Figure Out Who The Guy Near An Ebola Patient Without A Hazmat Suit Is
A mysterious man with a clipboard apparently made the bold decision to help an Ebola patient onto a plane without wearing a hazmat suit, and everyone is trying to figure out who he is.
The hashtag #clipboardguy has gone viral on Twitter, with many people incredulous that someone would take such a risk in the midst of an Ebola outbreak that has caused widespread panic.
The man was reportedly helping Amber Vinson, a 29-year-old nurse who contracted Ebola in Dallas after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, board a plane. She was being transferred from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
Here are the photos:
Based on the photos, it looks like the man actually got onto the plane with Vinson.
Vinson is the second person to contract Ebola in the US. She and another nurse were diagnosed with Ebola this week. They both cared for Duncan, who started showing Ebola symptoms after he flew from Liberia to the US for a visit. He died last week.
Ebola is not airborne, and can only be transmitted via a contagious person's bodily fluids. Still, people who come into contact with Ebola patients are advised to wear proper protective gear.
Although the Ebola outbreak has ravaged parts of western Africa, where more than 4,000 people have died from the disease, risk of a similar outbreak in the US is very, very low.
Ebola often begins with flu-like symptoms and a fever and can progress to internal and external bleeding and organ failure.