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Third American Sick, Window to Stop Ebola 'Closing'

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The Christian mission organization SIM says missionary Dr. Rick Sacra, recently infected with the Ebola virus, is being flown to The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska for treatment.

Sacra is the third Christian aid worker from the United States to battle Ebola this year. Sacra contracted the virus at the same Liberian hospital where SIM missionary Nancy Writebol and Dr. Kent Brantley, a Samaritan's Purse doctor, also worked.

Dr. Sacra is expected to arrive Friday morning in Omaha and begin receiving treatment in the hospital's Biocontainment Patient Care Unit.

"Rick was receiving excellent care from our SIM/ELWA staff in Liberia at our Ebola 2 Care Center. They all love and admire him deeply," SIM President Bruce Johnson said. "However, The Nebraska Medical Center provides advanced monitoring equipment and wider availability of treatment options."

Sacra, 51, was working for SIM, treating obstetrics patients, not Ebola victims, when he tested positive for the virus.

SIM, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, operates Christian hospitals around the word, including one in the West African nation of Liberia, which has been hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak.

Despite that danger, Dr. Sacra put himself in harm's way after learning his two co-workers, Brantly and Writebol, contracted Ebola, leaving a void in the hospital staffing.

"Rick and his family are currently living in the Boston area in the U.S," Johnson told CBN News. "Rick travels back and forth to Liberia, and he volunteered just a month ago when Dr. Brantley and Nancy tested positive for Ebola. Rick called and said, 'I'm ready to go.'"

There are currently no plans to give Dr. Sacra the experimental drug, ZMapp, because there is reportedly none left. ZMapp was given to Writebol, who spoke publicly Wednesday for the first time since recovering from Ebola.

"The question is usually asked, 'What do you think saved you?' Was it the ZMapp drug? Was it the supportive care?  Was it the Liberian and our U.S. health [system], our U.S. medical people? Was it those doctors and nurses who helped to save you? Or was it your faith?' And my answer is, all of the above," Writebol said at a news conference.

Writebol told CBN News that while she knew the odds were against her survival, she felt the calming presence of God.

"That peace that He gives in times of really difficult situations is a peace that we can't even explain. It's a peace that's overcoming, and it's a peace that says, 'It's gonna be okay,' whether I live or whether I die," Writebol recalled.

And while she's grateful to be alive, she's grieved that the Ebola outbreak is getting worse in Liberia.

Although Ebola can largely be prevented by keeping your hands clean, many West Africans don't know this, and many don't even have soap. That's where Operation Blessing comes in.

By partnering with churches, the aid organization is handing out literature about the importance of hygiene and is also providing liquid chlorine for disinfecting hands.

"The real reason why it's spreading so much is people really haven't been educated enough to know about the dangers, especially in the remote parts of the country," David Darg, vice president of Operation Blessing, said.

Operation Blessing is also donating supplies to treat Ebola patients and providing hospitals with sterile equipment.

Meanwhile, global health officials are warning the window for bringing Ebola under control is closing fast.

The World Health Organization reports nearly 2,000 people have died from the outbreak in West Africa, surpassing all previous outbreaks combined.

New estimates indicate it could take more than $600 million to control the epidemic.

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About The Author

Lorie Johnson
Lorie
Johnson

As CBN’s Senior Medical Reporter, Lorie Johnson reports on the latest information about medicine and wellness. Her goal is to provide information that will inspire people to make healthy choices. She joined CBN in 2008 and has interviewed some of the world's leading doctors and researchers from The Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Duke, and more. She kept viewers up to date throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with regular appearances onThe 700 Club, Faith Nation, and Newswatch. She has reported on many ground-breaking medical advancements, including the four-part series, Build a