An American doctor who became infected with Ebola while working in Liberia is expected to arrive in Nebraska on Friday for treatment.
Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, is the third U.S. aid worker to have contracted Ebola. The first two, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, have recovered. Dr. Sacra will be treated at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, which is home to the largest 10-bed isolation unit in the country.
Sacra, who is from the Boston area, was in Liberia with SIM, a North Carolina-based charity. Officials are uncertain how he contracted the virus, as he delivered babies but did not work directly with Ebola patients. Dr. Phil Smith, the Omaha isolation unit's medical director, told The Associated Press that a 35-person medical team will treat Sacra.
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Sacra's wife, Debbie, said at a press conference Thursday that he knew of the risk of infection when he headed to Liberia in August.
"I knew he needed to be with the Liberian people," Sacra's wife said at the press conference. "He's not someone who can stand back if there's a need he can take care of."
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