U.S. doctor with Ebola is going to Nebraska


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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Fannie Flagg’s 6 favorite books that sparked her imagination
Feature The author recommends works by Johanna Spyri, John Steinbeck, and more
-
Google: A monopoly past its prime?
Feature Google’s antitrust case ends with a slap on the wrist as courts struggle to keep up with the tech industry’s rapid changes
-
Patrick Hemingway: The Hemingway son who tended to his father’s legacy
Feature He was comfortable in the shadow of his famous father, Ernest Hemingway
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreak
Speed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agency
Speed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC