Third American Doctor To Contract Ebola Identified As Rick Sacra

The third American to have contracted Ebola has been named as 51-year-old veteran doctor Rick Sacra who volunteered to go to Liberia when Writebol and Brantly tested positive. Bruce Johnson, the president of SIM USA, revealed this in a press conference yesterday.

Johnson said his group was cooperating with US health authorities to determine how Sacra, who is from Massachusetts, got sick.

While stressing there was no confirmation at this time, Johnson said there was a chance Sacra — who had been working in obstetrics at the SIM-funded ELWA hospital — caught the virus from someone who had yet to show signs of the disease.

“They check patients at our hospital before admittance for Ebola symptoms and there’s a strong possibility that the Ebola symptoms were masked and not presenting themselves with a particular patient who was admitted and cared for and possibly this was how Dr Sacra contracted it.”

“He was caring for pregnant women, delivering babies by C-section and natural birth. Interesting, here is a doctor bringing new life into Liberia as death is surrounding us.” 

Boston Globe reports that colleagues of Dr. Rick Sacra at the University of Massachusetts Medical School have lauded his skills and his deep dedication to helping others, and said they were hoping that he would successfully fight off the deadly Ebola virus.

Sacra has spent much of his career working in Liberia but also owns a home in Holden, Massahusetts.