NBC's Medical Editor, A Princeton Resident, Placed Under Mandatory Quarantine After Possible Ebola Contact

Nancy Snyderman. Photo Credit: NBC News

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NBC’s Chief Medical Editor Nancy Snyderman, a 62-year-old Princeton resident, has been placed under mandatory quarantine by New Jersey Health Officials after violating the voluntary isolation agreement after one of her cameramen contracted the Ebola virus.

The state Health Department issued the quarantine but said there is no indication Princeton residents are at risk of exposure to the deadly virus.

“Before returning to the United States, the NBC crew made an agreement with the New Jersey Department of Health and local health officials to voluntarily self-confine themselves for the remainder of the 21 days following their low risk of exposure on October 1 to an individual who is being treated for Ebola,” according to a statement from the health department.

“Unfortunately, the NBC crew violated this agreement and so the Department of Health Friday evening issued a mandatory quarantine order to ensure that the crew will remain confined until Oct. 22. The NBC crew remains symptom-free, so there is no reason for concern of exposure to the community.”

Snyderman apologized for violating the voluntary isolation agreement Monday night. The full text of Snyderman’s statement, courtesy of NBC News, can be found below:

“While under voluntary quarantine guidelines, which called for our team to avoid public contact for 21 days, members of our group violated those guidelines and understand that our quarantine is now mandatory until 21 days have passed. We remain healthy and our temperatures are normal. As a health professional I know that we have no symptoms and pose no risk to the public, but I am deeply sorry for the concerns this episode caused. We are thrilled that Ashoka is getting better and our thoughts continue to be with the thousands affected by Ebola whose stories we all went to cover.”

Cameraman Ashoka Mukpo was infected with the virus while working on a story in West Africa earlier this month, according to NBC News,.

He contracted the disease on Oct. 1, and the whole crew was placed on voluntary isolation for three weeks, according to nj.com. Those who develop the virus don’t generally exhibit symptoms for two or three weeks. On Monday, Mukpo announced on Twitter that he was “feeling like I’m on the road to good health.”

Princeton Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser told town officials that Snyderman wasn’t exhibiting any symptoms yet during Monday night’s Princeton Council meeting.

“It is an extremely frightening disease but it’s also good to know that they’re healthy and the public is not in danger,” Princeton Mayor Liz Lempert told nj.com following the meeting.

Princeton Police have been patrolling Snyderman’s neighborhood on an hourly basis.

The violation was reported on Planet Princeton after several people say they saw Snyderman in public.