American Ebola patient arrives in US for treatment
An American doctor who was recently infected with the Ebola virus in Liberia arrived in the United States Friday for treatment.
Rick Sacra was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha in the early morning, facility spokeswoman Jenny Nowatzke told AFP.
"He is in a containment unit right now, being evaluated by our doctors," she said.
Local broadcaster KETV tweeted that Sacra landed at the Offutt Air Force Base and transported to the center in an ambulance escorted by "numerous law enforcement vehicles."
Sacra is the third American health worker to be infected with Ebola in the largest outbreak in history currently sweeping West Africa. Doctor Kent Brantly and aid worker Nancy Writebol have recovered from their illnesses.
They were flown back to the United States but treated at a different facility—Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
The virus has killed nearly 2,000 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria since the beginning of the year, according to the World Health Organization.
Sacra, 51, volunteered to go to Liberia for the Christian aid group SIM USA when Writebol and Brantly tested positive.
"Rick was receiving excellent care from our SIM/ELWA staff in Liberia at our Ebola 2 Care Center," Bruce Johnson, president of SIM USA, said Thursday.
"They all love and admire him deeply. However, the Nebraska Medical Center provides advanced monitoring equipment and wider availability of treatment options."
The Ebola virus has killed nearly 2,000 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria since the beginning of the year, according to the World Health Organization.
© 2014 AFP
