The third American health worker infected with Ebola in Africa has been identified as Dr. Rick Sacra.
The diagnosis came just two days after a seemingly healthy Sacra wrote about the unprecedented Ebola epidemic on his personal blog.
His dispatch from West Africa last weekend started with a humble salutation: “Dear Praying Friends.”
The 51-year-old Massachusetts resident told of arriving in Monrovia, Liberia less than a month ago to work at a mission hospital. The Ebola outbreak has thrust the capital city’s health care system into chaos and medical emergencies are mounting, Sacra wrote.
“Please continue to pray!” he requested. The Christian specifically asked for strength, safety and protection for patients and medical staff.
Shortly after publishing the blog entry, Sacra began feeling Ebola symptoms and immediately quarantined himself.
“My heart was deeply saddened, but my faith was not shaken, when I learned another of our missionary doctors contracted Ebola,” said Bruce Johnson, president of SIM USA, a Charlotte-based charity that sponsor’s the doctor’s work in Liberia.
