[Cuomo:] Let's talk about the guy who probably won't go to jail but maybe he should. We're talking about this man who stood up on a US Airways jet and screamed, "I have Ebola and you're all screwed." The unidentified 54-year-old American passenger caused medics and hazmat suits to storm the cabin. Passengers forced to sit on the plane, terrified, for more than two hours, for obvious reasons. This comes as New York's JFK Airport ready for enhanced Ebola screenings this weekend. We'll speak with Nancy Writebol, you remember her, the American who survived Ebola in just a moment, there she is. That will be great. First, CNN's Alexandra Field at JFK for the latest. What do we know?
[Alexandra Field, Cnn Correspondent:] Chris, apparently this was a big joke, but we're certain no one on the plane was laughing, considering they had to sit and wait to be cleared by the CDC. It does, however, show how seriously health officials are taking concerns about Ebola and so does a new plan to step up regulations at five major U.S. Airports.
[Unidentified Female:] Here's the situation, I need everybody to sit down.
[Field:] That was the announcement from a flight attendant just before several health officials in full hazmat suits boarded US Airways flight in the Dominican Republic. A passenger posted this video and local reports say the man said, "I have Ebola, you're all screwed."
[Unidentified Female:] Please stay out of the way. Let them do their job.
[Field:] The flight from Philadelphia checked and cleared but kept passengers stuck on the plane for two hours. It's unclear what happened to the man who made the claim. This incident only the beginning of a new front in the fight to stop the spread of Ebola. Passengers leaving the hot zone will be checked for symptoms, answering questions and having their temperatures taken when they arrive stateside at five major U.S. airports: New York City's JFK international, Newark, Washington Dulles, Atlanta and Chicago O'Hare.
[Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director, Cdc:] We expect to see some patients with fever and that will cause some obvious and understandable concern at the airports.
[Field:] More than 50 million passengers traveled through JFK last year. But the new procedures will impact just a tiny fraction. Exams will be done in special areas designated by customs and border protection. Onsite CDC health officers will step into evaluate any potential Ebola case. Passengers leaving Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea already screened before boarding planes out of those countries.
[Frieden:] Of course, I'm concerned. I don't think there's anybody in the country who is not concerned about the situation with Ebola. We're not ready at the airports yet but we will be.
[Field:] All right. JFK will be the first airport to implement the new regulations, they'll start screenings tomorrow. Those other four airports should start sometime next week. We're already hearing similar plans are in place in London and Canada. Expect a lot of airports could be looking at these regulations Chris.
[Cuomo:] All right, Alexandra. Thank you very much. You know, Alisyn, we're all afraid of the unknown. One thing that is known, if you get Ebola, you can beat it. We have somebody on now who knows that, don't we?
[Camerota:] Absolutely. Great story. As America steps up defenses against Ebola, our next guest is one of the lucky few who survived, Nancy Writebol was one of the first two Americans medevaced to the U.S. after contracting Ebola in West Africa. She joins us now. Good morning, Nancy.
[Nancy Writebol, Ebola Survivor:] Good morning, how are you?
[Camerota:] I'm doing well. It's great to see you. I guess the question is, how are you? You look great. How are you feeling?
[Writebol:] Thank you. I'm doing wonderful, thanks. Getting stronger each and every day.
[Camerota:] You know, it's been a little more than two months since you were brought back here to the U.S. for treatment. What has your recovery been like? Was it gradual or sudden that you felt better?
[Writebol:] No, it's been gradual. There have been good days and there have been bad days, and just regaining my stamina and just growing stronger. And I can see evidence of just being able to walk further and just be stronger each day.
[Camerota:] And, Nancy, can you tell us about your experience when you were in the throes of Ebola? What did it feel like?
[Writebol:] Well, very weak. And I ran a temperature of a high temperature for quite a while, a long time. You know, just going through just always feeling really sick and having to deal with even with diarrhea and the weakness, the fever. Just being very, very weak.
[Camerota:] And did you think during that time that you would survive?
[Writebol:] I wasn't sure at first because I had seen the what Ebola does to people and we had had 40 patients in our isolation unit when I took sick, and out of those 40 patients, only one survived. So I knew what the outcome was. And so I didn't really know whether I would survive.
[Camerota:] You were working as a missionary in a hospital in Liberia when you contracted the disease. Today, do you know how you got Ebola?
[Writebol:] No, and I think that will always be the question. And it's a question that we talk about often. You know, we think about, there are some different ideas about how I might have contracted it. But we don't really know for sure and I don't think we ever real.
[Camerota:] It's really a mystery. You say you were doing all of the safety measures, wearing all of the protective gear. So what's your theory?
[Writebol:] Right. Well, it's very possible that I contracted Ebola outside of the unit, not within. Of course I came in contact with people outside of our hospital and I remember knowing and being with a gentleman one time that later died of Ebola. And it's possible that there was, you know, some contact there. We just don't really know.
[Camerota:] As you know, the Liberian patient who was being treated here in Dallas, Thomas Duncan, did die this week from Liberia and there's a lot of questions about his treatment. One criticism is that he was not given a blood transfusion from a survivor. Were you asked to donate blood to Mr. Duncan?
[Writebol:] I was asked if I would be willing to donate, and I said, yes, I would be happy to donate. However, my blood type did not match his. And so I have always been willing and I would be very happy to donate the plasma that's needed for someone who does have Ebola.
[Camerota:] It's nice to know that you were asked. That answers a big question, because that hospital has come under some fire for not going to every length to try to help him. So it's good to know that you were asked but unfortunately you weren't a match. Were you given the experimental ZMapp treatment?
[Writebol:] Yes, I was.
[Camerota:] Do you credit that with your survival, or do you think there was something else?
[Writebol:] Well, I think, for me, there might have been several things. I also received a blood transfusion, not from a survivor, but I just needed blood. And then, of course, all of the care, the supportive care that I received played a big part. But I do think that ZMapp probably was what stabilized the Ebola virus so that I could get the supportive care that I needed.
[Camerota:] As you know, there's another American fighting for his life in a Nebraska hospital, it's an NBC freelance cameraman. What's your message to him this morning?
[Writebol:] Well, we have really been praying for him and I just want to encourage him that, you know, there are good days and bad days with Ebola. Some days you feel really good, the next day you just think I don't even want to get out of bed. So I just want to encourage him to fight and to just do everything that's possible that you can to recover.
[Camerota:] Yes. You were working, as we said, as a missionary in Liberia when you contracted the disease. Do you think you'll go back?
[Writebol:] Well, you know, that's a matter of discussion that is being talked about. It's very possible that we might go back. We're just asking the Lord for his direction on that and waiting for the right time to be able to go back.
[Camerota:] Nancy Writebol, you are a lovely person to talk to with your great message of survival and perseverance, great to see you. We're happy that you're doing so well.
[Writebol:] Thank you so much. Thanks for asking me to be here this morning.
[Camerota:] Our pleasure. We'll talk to you again.
[Writebol:] OK. 'Bye.
[Camerota:] Well, it's an epic customer service battle, an angry customer tries to get a refund from Comcast but in response he says Comcast got him fired. He joins us live.