Aid worker with Ebola gets blood transfusion
OMAHA, Neb. – An American aid worker infected with Ebola has been given blood from a fellow doctor who battled the disease, and Nebraska doctors say the man has responded well to aggressive treatment in the past week.
Dr. Rick Sacra received two blood transfusions from Dr. Kent Brantly last weekend after arriving at the Nebraska Medical Center, Dr. Phil Smith said Thursday. Sacra also has been given an experimental drug that doctors refuse to identify, and he has received supportive care including IV fluids.
Sacra is close friends with Brantly, one of the first two Americans treated for Ebola in Atlanta last month, from their missionary work.
“It really meant a lot to us that he was willing to give that donation so quickly after his own recovery,” Sacra’s wife, Debbie, said.
These blood transfusions are believed to help a patient fight off the Ebola virus because the survivor’s blood carries antibodies for the disease.
Yahoo reports threats from U.S. over data
WASHINGTON – Yahoo said Thursday the government threatened to fine the company $250,000 a day if it did not comply with demands to go along with an expansion of U.S. surveillance by surrendering online information, a step the company regarded as unconstitutional.
The outlines of Yahoo’s secret and ultimately unsuccessful court fight against government surveillance emerged when a federal judge ordered the unsealing of some material about Yahoo’s court challenge.
In a statement, Yahoo said the government amended a law to demand user information from online services, prompting a challenge in 2007 during the George W. Bush administration.
“Our challenge, and a later appeal in the case, did not succeed,” Yahoo general counsel Ron Bell said in a statement.
Hawaii taking steps to stop flowing lava
HONOLULU – Lava concerns on Hawaii’s Big Island are shifting from it reaching a sparsely populated subdivision to it crossing over a heavily used highway.
Hawaii County workers on Thursday began preparing defunct roads to be used as alternate routes if lava from Kilauea volcano reaches Highway 130, which could happen within weeks. Meanwhile, the lava appears to be going around the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision.
“Presently, the leading edge of the surface flow is located approximately 0.3 miles from the northwest or upper corner of the Wao Kele Forest Reserve and Kaohe Homesteads boundary,” Hawaii County Civil Defense said in an update Thursday.
It’s possible the lava will skirt the subdivision, but residents there should remain prepared, officials said.
Associated Press
