American Dr. Rick Sacra, Sickened With Ebola, 'Slightly Improved'

The condition of American aid worker Rick Sacra, who contracted Ebola in Africa and is being treated at a Nebraska hospital, has “slightly improved,” his wife said in a statement released by Christian aid organization SIM USA. “Rick is very sick and weak, but slightly improved from when he arrived yesterday,” Debbie Sacra, the wife of doctor Rick Sacra, said. “He asked for something to eat and had a little chicken soup.”

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Rick Sacra is the third American to be flown back to the U.S. for treatment after contracting the deadly disease while working in Africa. He was admitted to The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha on Friday. He contracted Ebola in Liberia while volunteering there as an obstetrician. The disease has killed more than 2,000 people across West Africa; Liberia is one of the countries hardest-hit by the outbreak.

Debbie Sacra thanked hospital staff, and said her husband's plight pales in comparison to those dealing with the outbreak in Africa. “We don’t want this story to be about Rick,” she said. “The story is the crisis in West Africa. That is what is most important. The world is coming to this fight late.”

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