Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Sick journalist to get blood from Ebola survivor

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The first American flown back to the U.S. for treatment of Ebola this summer has donated blood to the most recent one to return from West Africa with the disease.

The Nebraska Medical Center said Wednesday that it called Dr. Kent Brantly on Tuesday to tell him his blood type matches that of Ashoka Mukpo, a freelance video journalist who arrived at the medical center Monday.

The hospital says Brantly was driving through Kansas City, Missouri, and was able to give blood locally that was flown to Omaha. It says Mukpo will receive the transfusion Wednesday.

Such transfusions are believed to help Ebola patients because a survivor's blood contains antibodies to fight the disease.

Brantly also donated blood to the first Ebola patient treated at the Nebraska hospital.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.