Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
U.S. Doctor Who Survived Ebola Returning to West Africa
An American doctor who survived Ebola after being infected while working in Liberia is returning to the West African country.
Dr. Rick Sacra, an assistant professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Massachusetts, is scheduled to fly to Liberia on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
He has scheduled a news conference Monday to discuss the upcoming trip. It's expected he will treat patients with malaria and other chronic health problems, but not people with Ebola.
In the fall, Sacra spent three weeks in a Nebraska hospital recovering from Ebola, He is now immune to the disease that has killed thousands of people in West Africa, the AP reported.
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Disney-Related Measles Outbreak Now Numbers 19 People in Three States
A measles outbreak linked to Disney theme parks in California included 19 people in three states as of Friday, according to health officials.
There are 16 patients in California, two in Utah and one in Colorado. All of them visited Disneyland or Disney California Adventure between Dec. 15 and Dec. 20, the California Department of Public Health and the Orange County Health Agency said, the Associated Press reported.
Of the 16 patients in California, only two were confirmed to have been fully vaccinated against the disease, some were partially vaccinated, and at least two were too young to be vaccinated, state officials said.
More people may have been exposed to measles when people with the disease were treated at two local hospitals and a lab, Nicole Stanfield, a spokeswoman for the Orange County's health care agency, told the AP.
In order to avoid exposing others to the highly contagious disease, anyone with measles symptoms should call and consult with their doctor before seeking medical attention, Stanfield said.
