Rick Sacra, the doctor who was once infected with the deadly Ebola virus while working in Liberia, will return to West Africa to continue helping those who contracted the disease, according to ABC News.
Sacra, a physician from the University of Massachusetts, got infected with the disease in September of last year while treating other Ebola patients. He was immediately transported to the special treatment unit of the University of Nebraska and was discharged from the hospital on Sept. 26.
Although Sacra will return to the epicenter of the outbreak, the doctor noted that things will be easier for his second trip.
During his first visit, he served as the immediate replacement for Dr. Kent Brantly, the main specialist of the ELWA hospital Monrovia. After Brantly got infected with the virus, Sacra became the main medical expert in the struggling hospital, Boston.com reported.
"It was a crisis moment - the hospital was closed and we were trying to get it reopened," Sacra said during a media briefing held at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
When he returns to Liberia on Thursday, he won't be working in ELWA hospital's Ebola ward. Instead, he will oversee the emergency department of the facility, NBC News has learned.
In addition, given his first-hand experience with the disease, he will teach other aid workers safety precautions and serve as the main consultant for patients with complicated conditions.
"Now it's more like there are already people running with the ball, and I'm just hopping in to try to give it all a little push," he said.
"I may be the go-to guy for unknown, risky-looking patients," Sacra added.
Although other doctors told Sacra that he is already immune to the deadly virus, he said he has no plans of risking his life for a second time.
"I guess I am less nervous about this trip because I know what I am getting into more," he said. "The thing I was afraid of before, I've had it, thank God, and I am through it."
"In fact, the experts tell me I am immune," Sacra added. "I don't plan to test that but I am grateful for it."
