Transcript: Mayor De Blasio Hosts Press Conference at Bellevue Hospital on the Discharge of Dr. Craig Spencer

November 11, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Good morning, everyone. Good morning, everyone. Can everyone get seated? Mr. and Mrs. Spencer – let's get them seated. Bill, can we help Mr. and Mrs. Spencer? It's just a little chaos.

And now before we say anything, the first lady and I would like to – on behalf of all 8.4 million New Yorkers – welcome Craig Spencer back to his normal life. Would you like to administer the first hug, first lady?

[Applause]

And now, the official mayoral hug.

[Laughter]

Dr. Craig Spencer: Thank you so much. Thank you so much.

Mayor: Well done. It is a good feeling to hug a hero and we have a hero here in our midst, someone who served others no matter how much danger. And he has been an inspiration throughout the challenges he has faced. And by the way, Dr. Spencer showed us what it means to help your fellow human. That spirit was met and answered here by the extraordinary team at Bellevue, especially these nurses –

[Applause]

– these nurses and the medical team and everyone here at Bellevue who was with Dr. Spencer every step of the way, who made sure he was strong and healthy, who even brought him his banjo – that is customer service, ladies and gentlemen. So, it's a very, very good day – New York City's first and only Ebola case successfully treated. Dr. Spencer is Ebola-free and New York City is Ebola-free.

[Applause]

Dr. Spencer deserves our gratitude for what he chose to do to serve others, to help his fellow human being in the nation of Guinea, but also to protect people around the world – to protect people here at home by addressing the root cause. I said throughout this crisis, we honor our men and women in uniform when they go overseas to protect us. Dr. Spencer was wearing a different uniform with the same exact mission – to help people everywhere and to protect people here. And then, when we was himself afflicted, he showed us an example of strength, courage, dignity, humor – humor amidst it all.

When I had the honor – yes, they all know – when I had the honor of speaking to Dr. Spencer a few days into this, after some normal respectful conversation, he asked me how I was on the phone while holding a fork and knife at the same time. That is the example of the kind of humor that he kept with him at all times and raised the spirit of actually of everyone around him. So, I want to thank him for who he is and what he's done but again, everything about his spirit was reflected in the extraordinary people here at Bellevue – the doctors and nurses, all the staff, the professionalism, the courage. There was never any fear or turning back or lack of desire to serve in this building. People were focused and courageous and about the work of helping others.

[Applause]

We have to remember that everything that happened here happened because there was preparation weeks and weeks and weeks in advance – that when the time came, everyone knew what they were supposed to do. And our first responders, our EMTs, our firefighters, our police do exactly what they had to do and they did it beautifully. The team here at Bellevue was ready. It is an amazing story of everyone preparing for something they had not experienced before and then executing the plan perfectly.  Dr. Spencer did everything right as well – the moment he had symptoms, reporting them in and following the protocol to the letter.

We in New York City are proud to have Dr. Spencer as a citizen and he is part of the medical community of this city and we have the finest medical community in the entire nation, the finest public health system anywhere in the world, here in New York City.

[Applause]

I want to thank everyone who works here at Bellevue and everyone who represents them. We're joined by Jill Furillo of NYSNA and Frank Proscia of the Doctor's Council. We thank them for their leadership and support of everyone here.

[Applause]

I have to tell you, the members of our city administration outdid themselves with their focus and their preparation. They were led constantly, day and night, by our First Deputy Mayor Tony Shorris, who did an extraordinary job as the general of this army. And you're going to hear from some of the key leaders of the city's effort that worked so well.

Let's also think about how everyday New Yorkers responded. I think Dr. Spencer was an example to us all. He stayed cool. He stayed calm. He kept a sense of humor. He kept his focus and his positive view throughout. New Yorkers felt that and they stayed calm and cool and focused throughout. There was never a hint of anything being abnormal in this city. People went about their lives. They understood the Ebola is very, very difficult to contract. They understood it only occurs through contact directly with the bodily fluids of someone infected. People actually got it – 8.4 million people got it and just went about their lives. That says something about the spirit and the soul of New Yorkers and something we should be proud of.

Now, there's work to be done. There's work to be done now because the crisis continues in West Africa. We're so thrilled that Dr. Spencer is well. But that is not a cause for complacency. It's a time to refocus our efforts and find more brave people like him, ready to go and serve. Two weeks ago, Governor Cuomo and I announced a new program to encourage healthcare professionals to help address this challenge at its root in West Africa. We're going to support all healthcare professionals who stepped forward so we can end this crisis once and for all.
Second, as I've said many times, help the healthcare professionals of this city. If you're an everyday New Yorker and says, what can I do? Is there anything I can do to help? Well, you can help support folks who are going to fight the battle at the front. I'm going to tell you about one other thing you can do on that level, but the other you can do is an everyday simple thing – get a flu shot. Get a flu shot. It’s the simplest thing in the world because it will help. You’re not going to get the flu and that’s good to begin with, but it will also help our healthcare community to not have to spend time looking at symptoms that are just the flu when they’re looking for other challenges. If we could take that off the table, it will make their lives so much simpler so they can stay attentive to other risks. And let’s just spread truth and honest information about Ebola. Let’s get rid of the misinformation. Let’s spread the truth that this is a very hard disease to contract. You can’t say that enough times.

If you ever come across someone who is worried, tell them the truth and look at Dr. Spencer as an example of someone who shows us – stay calm, stay focused, and that’s how we get through any crisis. If anyone in this city, however, feels that they may have this challenge because they have been to one of the three nations and they have come in contact with someone with the disease and in direct contact with their bodily fluids – if they meet those criteria – they should call 9-1-1 or go to an emergency room, but only if they meet those criteria.

Finally, I just want to note in the middle of this challenge, we have seen a few unfortunate things, and it’s our job as New Yorkers to confront that. We’ve seen some of the good people who worked here treated badly. It hasn’t been that often but we’ve heard enough reports to tell us that it’s wrong. You never discriminate against someone who is helping others.

[Applause]

If we just get the conversation back to the truth, there is no cause for anyone to be treated with anything but respect and our thanks for serving people in need. And by the way, our fellow New Yorkers who come from those three West African nations – some of them have been stigmatized. People who are good, hardworking people, going about their lives, contributing to our society – no one should be stigmatized because of where they come from. That is an un-American act and we will embrace all of our fellow New Yorkers.

[Applause]

I said, if you want to help – if you want to help fight this disease at its root and it’s a battle we can win, you can support the extraordinary organizations that are doing this work – one of them, Doctors Without Borders, that sponsored Dr. Spencer’s extraordinary work. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City – chaired by someone I think quite highly of, my wife, our First Lady Chirlane McCray – is working to promote the work of healthcare workers in West Africa to receive contributions that will go to organizations like Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF so we can protect everyone, including the people of this city and this country. So, if you want to contribute to the effort, the Mayor’s Fund is there to receive your contributions and get them to the incredible organizations that are doing this work.

Before I let you hear from some of the other wonderful people around me, let me just say something in Spanish.

[Mayor de Blasio speaks in Spanish]

So, in any language, it’s the same truth – thank God this is very difficult disease to contract. Now, I want you to hear from the extraordinary people who supported Dr. Spencer. You’re going to have to wait until the end for the main event, but I want you to hear – he’s not going anywhere. [Laughter] Until the press conference is over, then you’re free.

The folks here at HHC, the Health and Hospital Corporation, did an amazing job – Bellevue Hospital, the flagship, a hospital that served in the toughest times and makes all New Yorkers proud, and the president of HHC has led wonderfully throughout this challenge. It’s my honor to present Dr. Ram Raju.

HHC President Dr. Ram Raju: Thank you, mayor. Thank you, first lady. Again, Commissioner Bassett, Spencers, thank you for visiting us today and Tony [inaudible]. I just want to thank you for the continued support of the Health and Hospital Corporation and especially the team of Bellevue, led by one of the best nursing team in the world.

[Applause]

Today is an important day. It’s an important day for the city – the day Dr. Spencer is going home. We must acknowledge that this day is possible because of compassion, the dedication and the great skills of Bellevue team. I’ll be brief but I just want to make three points today. First, I’m elated because we’re able to treat and cure a hero and I believe that very strongly. The dictionary defines a hero as someone who is admired for his or her achievements and noble qualities and one who shows great courage. Dr. Spencer personified this definition each and every day of his life.

Dr. Spencer put himself in harm’s way in a very difficult condition to help people he didn’t even know. Had he not contracted the Ebola virus himself, few people would have even known or heard about him. There are many, many people like Dr. Spencer – many people who put their lives at risk to care for others in different parts of the world. These are the unsung heroes of all time.

Dr. Spencer and his colleagues don’t just help West Africa. The Doctors Without Borders and others like them helped the entire world. Because we want to stop Ebola, as the mayor said, the only real way to do that is at its source. That’s what these people do each and every day. Today we send these heroes a very clear message. The message is simple. The New York City public health system – your public health system – will care for you if you have the misfortunate to contract Ebola. We applaud you. We thank you, and most importantly, we got your back.

[Applause]

The second point I want to make is that this is a vindication of this country’s healthcare delivery system. When some of you are fanning fears of the Ebola and subjecting the country to misinformation panic, we in New York City were calmly preparing. Some of this misinformation even led to discrimination, as the mayor talked about, against some of the brave healthcare workers. But Mayor de Blasio addressed the same issue here in this same atrium two weeks ago. The mayor cogently, wonderfully made the point how that will never be tolerated in New York City and I really thank him for his leadership.

Meticulous coordination and preparation led to great outcomes for patients. In my 30 years of experience as a physician and a healthcare leader, I’ve never ever seen before the level of collaboration and cooperation that went on behind the scenes to prepare for New York City for this Ebola and this paid off.

Today, New York City Health and Hospital Corporation and Bellevue Hospital joined the very limited ranks of hospitals in the country that has successfully treated an Ebola patient. We have prevailed and we are assured that we can take care of this complex disease. And once again, we have demonstrated the ability of the nation’s healthcare system, which is the best in the world.

Lastly, I will say that this episode has proved again why public healthcare departments and public hospital systems are so important in this country. It is hard to over say the significance of Health and Hospital Corporation in New York City. In today’s world, my health depends on yours and your health depends on mine. It doesn’t matter where we come from, how much you’ve got, which part of the city you live in or what your status in life is. The health of every person in this room depends on the health of the other person in this room.

The only time you can ever choose not to care about public health is if you choose to live in a place where there is no human contact. This episode once again underscores the value of public hospital systems to a country and our need to support them, to preserve them and be grateful to the compassion of selfless professionals who staff them.

People think of the Health and Hospital Corporation as treating poor and uninsured. Absolutely, we do that and we are very proud of that. We treat anyone without exception. We don’t turn anyone away. But today we show that the health and hospital system, as is the public hospital system in the country, are at the forefront of cutting-edge medicine. We are not only the caregivers of the last resort, we are also caregivers of choice.

When New York City’s urgent need to prepare for Ebola, it was the Health and Hospital Corporation – your public hospital system – stepped forward first and did the job right. And we remain on guard for additional cases if necessary. So, good luck, Dr. Spencer. It was a privilege and honor to know you and it’s really a privilege to serve you. Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: And, just to give credit where credit is due, there wouldn’t be this wonderful hero, Dr. Spencer, if it weren’t for Mr. and Mrs. Spencer. Let’s thank them for bringing him up right.

[Applause]

Now, the team here was extraordinary. Chirlane and I had the honor of going to the isolation floor and meeting with some of the professionals in the midst of this challenge. And it was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen – the professionalism, the collaboration with healthcare leaders all around the country happening before your eyes. This effort was led by the physician in charge of Dr. Spencer’s care and she’s a hero too. I’d like to introduce, Dr. Laura Evans.

[Applause]

Dr. Laura Evans: Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and thank you, Dr. Raju. I’m Dr. Laura Evans and I’m just one member of this huge Bellevue team, many of whom are before you today, who cared for Dr. Craig Spencer. Almost three weeks ago now, I responded to what I initially thought was another of the many Ebola practice drills we had had over the past several weeks and months. However, this one turned out to be real thing and we were ready. As others have mentioned, at Bellevue Hospital, we’re used to rising to meet any challenge. This was no different for us. We take great pride in meeting the health care needs of all New Yorkers. Our mission at Bellevue is to care for everyone and we were particularly proud to care for Dr. Spencer.

It really has been an honor and a privilege for our team, our entire team, to care for and to get to know Dr. Spencer. I’d like to take just a couple of minutes to share some important things we learned from him. He reminded us vividly that the fight against Ebola is not here in New York City and it’s not here in Bellevue Hospital. That fight remains in West Africa. And we celebrate and we admire healthcare professionals like him who are on the frontlines of this effort, working to control this deadly outbreak. His courage and dedication in joining the international fight against this devastating disease at its source was inspiring to all of us in his healthcare team.
Dr. Spencer witnessed some of the suffering and death that Ebola has caused in West Africa. However, when faced when with his own diagnosis, he chose not to focus on this. He instead played an active part in all of his treatment decisions. He’s a brave and caring doctor with a great sense of humor, which helped enormously in his recovery.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to especially recognize all of our nurses, doctors, laboratory staff and all of the other staff here at Bellevue and HHC, who contributed to this recovery that you see before you today.

[Applause]

Their dedication and great care helped get Dr. Spencer back to good health, and I stand before you enormously proud to call them all of my colleagues. I’d also like to especially thank some of our colleagues around the United States and the world for sharing their expertise so freely with us. I’d particularly like to thank and acknowledge our colleagues at the New York City and New York state health departments, the CDC, Emory University, and the University of Nebraska. They were always available. Their support and collaboration was invaluable.

So, on behalf of the entire Bellevue and HHC team, we extend our best wishes to Dr. Spencer, his fiancée, and his family as he continues to regain his strength and return to normal life.

[Applause]

Dr. Spencer: Thank you so much for everything.

Mayor: As you could see, Dr. Spencer is a very huggable guy, in addition to his medical skill. He has other fine attributes. Now, throughout these weeks, there has been a voice of calm and reason and science. Her voice has been heard all over the city, all of the state, all of this nation. I really think when the history is written of what happened here, people are going to back and say that Dr. Mary Bassett was the truth teller. She was the person who really helped a lot of people to feel it was going to be okay because the facts were what mattered. Not the rumors, not the misinformation – the facts. And when you think of what a health commissioner of New York City does – one of the leading health voices of the nation – Dr. Bassett lived up to that tradition with great distinction in the midst of this crisis. We all owe her a great debt of gratitude. Our health commissioner, Dr. Mary Bassett.

Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett: Well, this is a very happy occasion. It’s not even three weeks since we stood before you here to tell you that the first case of Ebola virus disease have been diagnosed here in New York City. I can’t imagine what a scary day it must have been for the parents of Dr. Spencer. Here we are today to celebrate the discharge of Dr. Spencer from Bellevue Hospital – healthy, ready to go home. This is a tremendous occasion. I think it also gives us all a chance, all of us who worked so hard, to acknowledge the leadership of our mayor in this time.

[Applause]

Many agencies worked together tirelessly to get us to this day but this day is for our public hospital system. We are so lucky here in New York City to have a robust public hospital system under the leadership of Dr. Ram Raju. This hospital system has as its sole mission – seeing to the medical needs of the people of this city. And that’s what they did. The staff here at Bellevue Hospital continued its tradition of delivering world-class medical care in the care of Dr. Spencer and of all the patients.

I want to acknowledge that team. That means the doctors. All the doctors would tell you it’s really the nurses all standing behind me, it’s the lab technicians, it’s the support staff – all of whom ensured a recovery for Dr. Spencer.

I also want to say something to Dr. Spencer. I know that he participated actively in his own care. And I want to salute him. As we all have been saying, his work in West Africa was not only for the people of Guinea, it was for all of us. We will not vanquish this epidemic until it is vanquished in West Africa. So, Dr. Spencer and the organization in which he worked with, Doctors Without Borders, have been really taking the burden for all of us in seeking to put an end to this outbreak.

For us in New York City, we must continue to be vigilant. We hope we don’t see another case of Ebola but we will be vigilant and vigilant to other public health threats which include stigma and discrimination – also damaging to our public’s health. But this is really a day for celebration. I had talked with Dr. Spencer about my desire also to join the crowd in giving him a hug, so Dr. Spencer –

[Applause]

Mayor: The organization that has so powerfully organized healthcare professionals from all over the world and got them where they were needed most, an organization that deserves so much more credit than it gets for protecting us all is Doctors Without Borders. The executive director of this outstanding organization is Sophie Delaunay. Let’s welcome her.

MSF Executive Director Sophie Delaunay: Good morning. I’m delighted to be here today alongside my MSF colleague, Dr. Craig Spencer, his remarkable and dedicated medical team here at Bellevue Hospital, and with Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Bassett. Today is a joyous day for which we’re incredibly grateful. Craig’s recovery reminds us all that immediate isolation of people with Ebola symptoms and the swift initiation of the treatment not only increases the chances of survival, but protects public health.

We could not be more proud of Craig today. He diligently followed MSF’s monitoring protocol upon his return from Guinea in accordance with the selfless lifesaving work he performed so admirably in West Africa. He and our 3,500 colleagues working at great risk in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea, are to be respected and honored. They protect us all as they tirelessly care for the sick and try to stop this outbreak.

It is imperative that our focus remains squarely on West Africa, the source of the Ebola epidemic. Stopping it there protects us here. The international response, while robust, has yet to fully break the virus’ chain of transition. Much more work lies ahead, and the flexible global effort is critical now. While the recent drop in cases in Liberia is certainly encouraging, Ebola is on the rise in Guinea and Sierra Leone. We must not let our guard down. Complacency, false security and above all, fear, are Ebola’s greatest allies.

So, while we celebrate Craig’s recovery, we remain mindful of the massive effort that still lies ahead and of the need to be as clear-eyed, vigilant and courageous as him. Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: Ladies and gentlemen, a true American hero and an example to us all, Dr. Craig Spencer.

[Applause]

Dr. Spencer: Thank you. Thank you. Hello, my name is Craig Spencer.

[Laughter]

I am a physician and aid worker for Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF. I am very proud to be among the ranks of more than 3,500 providers working with Doctors Without Borders to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

I wanted to start by taking a moment to thank the medical team here at HHC Bellevue Hospital Center for their tremendous care and support they have provided to me to survive this virus. Since I was admitted on October 23rd, I’ve received an exceptional level of medical treatment, support, and encouragement from the whole medical and administrative team. I would especially like to thank Dr. Laura Evans, who has primarily –

[Applause]

– who has primarily managed my care since I first arrived and has been with me every single day.

Today, I am healthy and no longer infectious. My early detection, reporting and now recovery from Ebola, speaks to the effectiveness of the protocols that are in place for health staff returning from West Africa. I am a living example of how those protocols work and of how early detection is critical to both surviving Ebola and ensuring that it is not transmitted to others.

While my case has garnered international attention, it is important to remember that my infection represents but a fraction of the more than 13,000 reported cases to date in West Africa, the center of the outbreak where families are being torn apart and communities are destroyed. It is for this reason that I volunteered to work in Guinea with Doctors Without Borders.

For over five weeks, I worked in an Ebola treatment center in Guéckédou, the epicenter of the outbreak. During this time, I cried as I held children who were not strong enough to survive the virus but I also experienced immense joy when patients I treated were cured and invited me into their family as a brother upon discharge.

Within a week of my diagnosis, many of these same patients called my personal cellphone from Guinea to wish me well and ask if there was any way they could contribute to my care. Most incredibly, I watched my Guinean colleagues, who have been on the frontlines since day one and have seen their friends and family members die as they continue to fight to save the communities – their communities – with so much compassion and dignity. They are the true heroes that we are not talking about.

Please join me in turning our attention back to West Africa, and ensuring that medical volunteers and other aid workers do not face stigma and threats upon their return home. Volunteers need to be supported to help fight this outbreak at its source.

I am immensely thankful for all of the encouragement and support that I have received from my family, so many friends, and complete strangers over the past few weeks. In addition, I would like to thank my home institution, Columbia University Medical Center, for the unprecedented support I have received from the time I decided to deploy, until after my diagnosis.

Lastly, I would like to publicly recognize my incredibly deep appreciation for Doctors Without Borders. I cannot begin to mention how well they have helped manage this difficult time for both myself and my family.

Finally, I would like to thank in advance, the media for respecting my right and my family’s right to complete privacy. I will not be commenting publicly beyond this statement and I urge you, please, to focus your attention where it’s most urgently needed, at the source of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Thank you.

[Applause]

Mayor: Well done.

Dr. Spencer: Thank you so much for everything.

Mayor: Is that it?

Dr. Raju: No, we have questions and answers if there are any questions.

Mayor: Announce that you will take some questions.

Dr. Raju: We’ll be happy to take some questions – myself and Commissioner Bassett. Yes sir? Commissioner?

Question: [Inaudible]

Dr. Bassett: I couldn’t hear you very well but I think you were asking about a new test, its trade name is BioFire, that does a – is a more rapid test for Ebola. This is a test that we are looking into, along with the New York state health department, which of course oversees the validation of any new diagnostic testing. So, it may prove very valuable to us and we’re looking into it.

Question: Is it approved?

Dr. Bassett: I can’t answer that question. That would be a question for the New York state health department.

Dr. Raju: Yes, yes.

Question: The people who treated Dr. Spencer at the height of his infection, how many of them are there and how long are they monitored for? How many of them are in quarantine?

Dr. Bassett: Everybody who has been involved in the care of Dr. Spencer is healthy and completely asymptomatic. Some 100 individuals were involved in his care, that’s starting with the people who transported him to the hospital, the people who were involved with his care here, the people who ran his laboratory tests. They will be continued to be monitored for 21 days after their last contact with Dr. Spencer. The monitoring comprises of twice daily temperatures, which the individuals conduct themselves and are reported to us and tracked by the health department.

Question: [Inaudible].

Dr. Bassett: Yes, that’s right. From the last contact, it’s 21 days. This is out of an abundance of caution. We are – have had no reports of any breaches. We are just being careful.

Question: Can you tell us something about the treatment, how were you able to do it – because, Thomas Eric Duncan died, and he was able to survive. Can you tell us about the treatment?

Dr. Raju: We will not go into the depth of the treatment but we want to tell you that he has got the most innovative state of the art treatment which we learned a lot of them from our colleagues across the country from Nebraska, from Emory, and from NIH.

Dr. Bassett: May I say something about that?

Dr. Raju: Yeah, sure.

Dr. Bassett: I just want to add one more thing to this. It’s obvious that the survival from Ebola has been better in the United States than it has been in West Africa. A key part of that seems to be simply the provision of supportive care. And by that, I refer to adequate fluid management, the replacement of blood products for people who are bleeding. That seems to be a really critical part of the care for people with Ebola. We really need to focus on making that more available in West Africa. It’s clear that it would save many lives.

Question: Doctor, what is the status of Dr. Spencer’s fiancée and his friends?

Dr. Bassett: Dr. Spencer’s fiancée remains in quarantine. The two of his friends were released from quarantine. They are subject to what we call direct active monitoring – that means that their temperatures are taken twice a day by health department staff. They will – her last day would be November 14th, in the morning.

Question: If she’s still in quarantine, does that mean he’s not going home?

Dr. Bassett: Dr. Spencer is free to go where he wants to go. He is not – poses no public health threat. My understanding is that he’s returning home.

Question: Can I ask Dr. Raju, when the course of this disease ran with Dr. Spencer’s case and when the disease finally broke and he was on the road to recovery?

Dr. Raju: We cannot really give any details of his treatment or his progress. We followed the procedures, which are in consultation with CDC. When we found that his blood is free of Ebola, then he was – came off isolation, then we planned for discharge and is going home.

Question: Did any information ever come to light as to how he had contracted it himself? Do you have a sense?

Dr. Raju: Not to my knowledge.

Question: What is the cost of treating and transporting all of that?

Dr. Raju: Yeah, we will be releasing that very soon.

Question: Who is paying for all of this? Who is paying for all the treatment? Thank you.

Dr. Bassett: We will be in consultation with the federal government, the state government and the city government.

Question: Doctor, how many potential cases are you monitoring at this point? We have heard 350. How many potential cases?

Dr. Bassett: The department has 289 people in active monitoring. Most of these are people who have arrived from travel that included the three countries in West Africa where Ebola transmission is ongoing.

Unknown: We have three more, three more questions.

Question: Dr. Bassett, will Dr. Spencer be donating his blood or plasma in the case that [inaudible]?

Dr. Raju: We have not discussed that with him yet.

Question: [inaudible]

Dr. Raju: No. As you probably reported – we reported before that he got a plasma treatment. I don’t know how much it contributed to his cure but that is something we used in his case.

Question: [Inaudible] organization. How much did Dr. Spencer [inaudible]?

Executive Director Delaunay: I’m sorry but I can’t hear you.

Question: How much of Dr. Spencer’s case have repercussions of some of the negative [inaudible]? How did that affect your organization? He mentioned the risks –

Executive Director Delaunay: The case itself – we anticipated that this could happen. All of our volunteers who go to the field are informed about such risks but they are also confident that we are having the best possible protection and that we will provide the medical care if needed. This hasn’t changed the determination of the organization and of the volunteers to go and fight the outbreak.

Question: [Inaudible]?

Executive Director Delaunay: There was a lot of stigma and a lot of criticism around him. We do think that it’s very unhelpful for this commitment.

Unknown: One more question.

Question: Can you confirm that [inaudible]?

Dr. Bassett: I think you all heard very clearly from Dr. Spencer that he would like to have his privacy respected.

Unknown: Thank you very much. Thank you for coming.