Before being cremated, man thought to have died from Ebola wakes up


While the cameras rolled, a man health workers thought had died from Ebola woke up as he was being carried off to the crematorium.
A crew from Good Morning America was filing a report in Monrovia, Liberia, when the drama began to unfold. In the video, Dr. Richard Besser explains that a day earlier, local residents had called for assistance with a man lying on the sidewalk; they weren't sure if he had Ebola, but knew he was deathly ill. Emergency responders never arrived, even after they called a second time. "This is a place right now where if you die from Ebola, they are very quick for you," Besser said. "If you're living and you need help, there's really nowhere to go."
Behind Besser, a burial team arrived to take away the body. Wearing protective suits, they sprayed the area with bleach and wrapped him in plastic. Then, as they began to take the man to the ambulance that would go to the crematorium, his arm moved. The crowd began to yell, and Besser said that he wasn't sure where the sick man would go, since there weren't any hospitals that could treat him, and he only looked like he would make it a few more hours.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A community leader who spoke with Besser said the situation just further proved "we couldn't get him help when he was alive. They only come when you die." --Catherine Garcia
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Ozempic menus: how weight-loss jabs are changing restaurants
In The Spotlight Reduced appetites mean a shift towards smaller portions
-
Canal-boating trips around the UK
The Week Recommends Britain's tranquil waterways are a great place to unwind
-
The horse racing industry is caught up in the migrant debate
Under the Radar At least 78% of the workers on race tracks are reportedly immigrants
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive order
speed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
-
RFK Jr. visits Texas as 2nd child dies from measles
Speed Read An outbreak of the vaccine-preventable disease continues to grow following a decade of no recorded US measles deaths
-
Shingles vaccine cuts dementia risk, study finds
Speed Read Getting vaccinated appears to significantly reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia
-
Measles outbreak spreads, as does RFK Jr.'s influence
Speed Read The outbreak centered in Texas has grown to at least three states and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting unproven treatments
-
RFK Jr. offers alternative remedies as measles spreads
Speed Read Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. makes unsupported claims about containing the spread as vaccine skepticism grows
-
Texas outbreak brings 1st US measles death since 2015
Speed read The outbreak is concentrated in a 'close-knit, undervaccinated' Mennonite community in rural Gaines County
-
Mystery illness spreading in Congo rapidly kills dozens
Speed Read The World Health Organization said 53 people have died in an outbreak that originated in a village where three children ate a bat carcass