The NBC freelance cameraman says that after all he's been through he regrets nothing, but is still unsure how he contracted Ebola.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
AND STILL TRYING TO MAKE SURE IT'S ENTIRELY OVER. BRIAN, BACK TO YOU.
>> RON ALLEN IN OTTAWA AFTER A TERRIBLE DAY THERE.
>>> TODAY WE LEARNED THAT NEARLY 5,000 PEOPLE HAVE NOW DIED FROM EBOLA IN WEST AFRICA. A HANDFUL OF AMERICANS WHO'VE CONTRACTED THE VIRUS IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE FLOWN HOME FOR TREATMENT AND SURVIVE. AS OF TONIGHT THE QUARANTINE FOR DR. NANCY SNYDERMAN AND HER TEAM IS OVER. AND WE ARE PLEASED TO REPORT OUR CAMERAMAN, ASHOKA MUKPO IS NOW OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. TONIGHT, HE IS ABLE TO SHARE HIS STORY WITH NBC'S KATE SNOW.
>> DO YOU DO HUGS AT ALL?
>> Reporter: FOR THE FIRST TIME ASHOKA MUKPO GOT TO SEE HIS CARE GIVERS WHO CARED FOR HIM WITH NO PROTECTIVE GEAR IN THE WAY. WE MET UP WITH HIM A LITTLE WHILE LATER.
>> I'M SO FORTUNATE TO BE ALIVE. EVERY BREATH I TAKE, EVERY STEP I TAKE IS JUST A REMINDER OF HOW VALUABLE AND PRECIOUS LIFE IS.
>> Reporter: ASHOKA HAD BEEN BACK IN LIBERIA FOR SEVERAL WEEKS AND WORKED WITH OUR NBC NEWS CREW INCLUDING DR. NANCY SNYDERMAN ON TWO DAYS. ON THE START OF THAT SECOND DAY HE FELT FINE, BUT AFTER LUNCH HIS BACK STARTED TO ACHE SO HE STOPPED AT HIS APARTMENT.
>> I PUT MY THERMOMETER IN MY MOUTH AND THAT THING CAME UP 101.3 AND THAT WAS IT.
>> 101.3?
>> AND I DIDN'T REALLY FEEL FEVERISH.
>> PEOPLE MIGHT THINK IF YOU WERE STARTING TO FEEL FUNNY, WHY WERE YOU WORKING? WHY WOULD YOU PUT OTHER PEOPLE AT RISK?
>> THE MOMENT I STARTED TO FEEL FUNNY I WENT HOME. I MEAN, THERE WAS A FIVE-MINUTE PERIOD, LITERALLY, FIVE TO TEN-MINUTE PERIOD BETWEEN THE FIRST MOMENT I THOUGHT WHAT'S THAT AND I HAD A TEMP AND THERMOMETER IN MY MOUTH.
>> DO YOU KNOW HOW YOU CONTRACTED EBOLA?
>> THAT'S THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION. UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S NOT A SATISFACTORY ANSWER FOR IT. THE BEST THING I CAN SAY IS THERE WAS A PERIOD OF TIME OF ABOUT A WEEK WHERE I WAS WORKING WITH VARIOUS NEWS ORGANIZATIONS AND IN THE COURSE OF THAT WEEK I WAS AT EBOLA TREATMENT UNITS, I WAS FOLLOWING BURIAL TEAMS. I WAS WITH AMBULANCE DRIVERS.
>> WAS THAT THE THE WEEK BEFORE YOU JOINED UP WITH THE NBC TEAM?
>> YEAH, IT WAS ABOUT A WEEK.
>> Reporter: HIS PARENTS BEGGED HIM NOT TO GO BACK TO LIBERIA, BUT HE SAYS HE HAS NO REGRETS DESPITE ALL HE'S BEEN THROUGH.
>> YOU KNOW, YOUR LIFE IS HANGING BY A THREAD. IT MAKES ME REMEMBER A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE I'VE FILMED AND TALKED TO AND TO CONNECT WITH THE FEAR THEY MUST HAVE FELT. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALMOST NO WORDS FOR THAT. YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS 2014, WE CAN'T BE SEEING WHAT'S HAPPENING TO HUMAN BEINGS RIGHT NOW. WE'VE GOT TO DO BETTER. WE'VE REALLY GOT TO DO BETTER.
>> Reporter: MORE GOOD NEWS TO SHARE TONIGHT ABOUT ONE OF THE NURSING FROM DALLAS BEING TREATED AT EMORY UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, AMBER VINSON. WE'VE LEARNED FROM HER FAMILY SHE'S HAD BLOOD TESTS DONE AND