Another Christian Missionary Doctor In Liberia Tests Positive For Ebola

oge okonkwo

September 5, 2014 12:03 PM

The doctor was reportedly working with pregnant women at ELWA and not with Ebola patients, so it is unknown how the doctor became infected

A Christian humanitarian organisation, Serving in Mission (SIM), has announced that another of its doctors has contracted the deadly Ebola virus.

SIM operates the Eternal Love Willing Africa (ELWA) Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, which has an isolation ward to treat patients infected with Ebola.

The infected doctor, Rick Sacra, is the second SIM physician diagnosed with the virus.

He was reportedly working with pregnant women at ELWA and not with Ebola patients, so it is unknown how the doctor became infected.

The missionary doctor was said to have isolated himself after he started to show symptoms of Ebola infection, and is being treated in ELWA's quarantined unit.

SIM president, Bruce Johnson said he is saddened and deeply troubled by the news.

"My heart was deeply saddened, but my faith was not shaken, when I learned another of our missionary doctors contracted Ebola," he said in a statement.

"As a global mission, we are surrounding our missionary with prayer, as well as our Liberian SIM/ELWA colleagues, who continue fighting the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. We have gifted Liberian doctors, medical staff and support staff who are carrying on the fight."

The Ebola outbreak began in Guinea in February, and quickly spread to Sierra Leone and Liberia. The World Health Organisation reported 1,552 deaths from the virus as of August 28.

oge okonkwo