Ebola survivor donates blood in Kansas City for sick journalist

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 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 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.

This story was originally published October 8, 2014 at 8:54 AM with the headline "Ebola survivor donates blood in Kansas City for sick journalist."