U.S. Ebola patient Dr.Sacra back in hospital with respiratory symptoms — viral recurrence not suspected

An American patient treated for Ebola in Nebraska then released is now in isolation in a hospital in Massachusetts.

Dr. Richard Sacra had worked as a medical missionary in Liberia but not directly with Ebola patients. Nevertheless, he contracted the disease. He was treated in isolation at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha then released after testing negative for the virus.

Early Saturday, he went to an emergency room in Boston with a cough and fever, said missionary organization Serving in Mission. He was afraid he might have pneumonia.

Because of his previous infection, he was transferred to the UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, the center said in a statement.

Doctors there don't believe it is a recurrence of Ebola, but are keeping Sacra in isolation, in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, until they are sure what is causing his symptoms.

"We're waiting for final test results from the CDC, which we expect to receive late Monday," said lead physician Dr. Robert Finberg.

 Bruce Johnson, president of the SIM USA missionary group, said in a news release that Sacra first visited a Boston-area hospital emergency room Saturday morning because of a persistent cough and low-grade fever and concern that he might be developing pneumonia. Johnson said Sacra was transferred to UMass Memorial for observation as a precaution under CDC guidelines.

Johnson said Dr. Phil Smith of The Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where Sacra was treated, told SIM that Sacra's recent viral illness lowered his immune system but his current symptoms aren't those of someone suffering from Ebola.

"Dr. Sacra did the right thing by going to the hospital," Smith said in a statement released by SIM. "He's been through a lot over the last month, and he wanted to be sure his respiratory illness didn't worsen. Being a doctor himself, he knows the importance of preventative care."