Officials with the Christian organization SIM announced this week that a third American missionary has been infected with the Ebola virus while working in Liberia. Dr. Rick Sacra had volunteered to go back to Liberia after learning his colleagues were infected. He was airlifted back to the United States. The other missionaries have recovered after being treated with the experimental drug ZMapp. One of them, Nancy Writebol, says she’s often asked what helped her to survive.
“Was it the ZMapp drug? Was it the supportive care? Was it the Liberian and our US health and our US medical people? Was it those doctors and nurses that helped to save you? Or was it your faith? And my answer to that question is all of the above.”
Meanwhile, U.N. officials are warning of a potential food shortage in West African countries hit by Ebola. In Liberia, an Ebola patient caused a panic when he escaped quarantine to search for food in a market. He was finally taken back into custody.