Friends turn to crowdsourcing to help pay for medical bills of US journalist with Ebola

Friends of the American freelance journalist with Ebola are turning to crowdsourcing to help pay for what they say is expected to be more than $500,000 in medical bills.

Ashoka Mukpo (ah-SHOH'-kuh MUK'-poh), of Providence, Rhode Island, contracted Ebola while covering the crisis in Liberia. He was working for NBC News as a cameraman when he was diagnosed.

NBC and the VICE Media Group say they're coordinating to assist in paying for his medical care. NBC says it wants a solution where he and his family won't have to pay anything.

A fundraiser on the website Gofundme had raised more than $47,000 by Monday afternoon, with more than 650 donations.

The fundraising page says Mukpo's travelers' insurance doesn't cover his treatment.

Nebraska Medical Center has said Mukpo is improving.