The third American infected with Ebola will returning to the US for treatment at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. and is expected to arrive Friday.
Third American with Ebola returning to the US
The physician, 51-year-old Rick Sacra, was working with the Christian missionary organization SIM USA in Liberia when he tested positive for Ebola. He wasn’t treating Ebola patients, however, but instead working in obstetrics at a hospital in Monrovia, Liberia.
According to the Boston Globe, the Massachusetts native spent most of his career working as a medical missionary in Liberia.
“Rick was receiving excellent care from our SIM/ELWA staff in Liberia at our Ebola 2 Care Center,” said Bruce Johnson, president SIM USA in a statement. “They all love and admire him deeply. However, The Nebraska Medical Center provides advanced monitoring equipment and wider availability of treatment options.”
He added: “SIM’s global family from over 50 countries is extremely grateful for the generous cooperation of many agencies and organizations in the U.S. and in Liberia which made it possible for Rick to be brought to Omaha.”
Sacra is technically the fourth American to test positive for Ebola in the current outbreak, which has killed more than 1,500 people (nearly all Africans) to date. That’s more than the total number of people killed by all other Ebola outbreaks combined since the first in 1976.
Two other American medical missionary volunteers, Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, were recently released from Emory University Hospital after being treated for the Ebola virus, which they had contracted in Liberia.
Patrick Sawyer, an American-Liberian, died from Ebola in July after contracting the disease in Liberia.
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By Julia Belluz and Alex Ward
