Filmmaker Returns to West Africa to Bear Witness to Ebola

Long before New York City's first and only case of Ebola came and went, Janet Tobias, a filmmaker and public health researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and New York University, had plans to return to West Africa to document the epidemic at its source.

"Finding a disease is a detective story," Tobias said. "In the case of Ebola we're still looking to understand exactly where the disease comes from and how it [passes] between humans." 

The Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare invited Tobias and her team of filmmakers and journalists to document the crisis. The crew will travel to Liberia and Sierra Leone over the next few months.

Ahead of the trip, WNYC's Richard Hake checked in with Tobias about the film and her plans to protect herself against the virus.

Check back with WNYC for updates about the team's progress, and follow them on Twitter or Facebook.