The State Department has confirmed that two US citizens suffering from Ebola in West Africa will be evacuated back to the United States to be cared for in strict isolation.
"The safety and security of US citizens is our paramount concern," deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said, confirming the State Department was facilitating the medical evacuation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Ebola Virus Disease
Ebola is caused by a virus via direct contact with body fluids or infected blood. Scientists have identified five types of Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus.
Advertisement
"Every precaution is being taken to move the patients safely and securely, to provide critical care en route on a non-commercial aircraft and to maintain strict isolation upon arrival in the United States."
They will be "taken to medical facilities with appropriate isolation and treatment capabilities," Harf added in her statement.
Samaritan's Purse, a US charity, has said that two of its staff members, doctor Kent Brantly and another American missionary worker, Nancy Writebol, were stricken with the virus in Liberia.
![Passenger Screening for Ebola Considered by Airlines Agency]( "Passenger Screening for Ebola Considered by Airlines Agency")
Deadly Ebola has crossed international borders aboard an aircraft, and the International Civil Aviation Organization is considering passenger screenings for Ebola.
Both "are in stable but grave condition," the group said Thursday in a statement.
Harf declined to identify the two patients who would be evacuated due to privacy concerns.
Emory University Hospital, in southern Georgia, has also said that it is preparing to receive "a patient with Ebola virus infection to its special facility containment unit within the next several days."
But it was not immediately clear if either Brantly or Writebol would be taken to Emory.
"CDC protocols and equipment are used for these kinds of medical evacuations so that they are carried out safely," Harf added.
This was done in an effort to protect "the patient and the American public, as has been done with similar medical evacuations in the past," she added.
Brantly, 33, became infected with Ebola while working with patients in the Liberian capital of Monrovia as he helped treat victims of the worst Ebola outbreak in history.
The World Health Organization warned West Africa's Ebola-hit nations that the epidemic was spiraling out of control and could spread to other countries.
The WHO raised the death toll by 57 to 729 on Thursday, announcing that 122 new cases had been detected between Thursday and Sunday last week, bringing the total to more than 1,300 since the epidemic began earlier this year.
Source: AFP
Samaritan's Purse, a US charity, has said that two of its staff members, doctor Kent Brantly and another American missionary worker, Nancy Writebol, were stricken with the virus in Liberia.
Passenger Screening for Ebola Considered by Airlines Agency
Deadly Ebola has crossed international borders aboard an aircraft, and the International Civil Aviation Organization is considering passenger screenings for Ebola.
Advertisement
Both "are in stable but grave condition," the group said Thursday in a statement.
Harf declined to identify the two patients who would be evacuated due to privacy concerns.
Emory University Hospital, in southern Georgia, has also said that it is preparing to receive "a patient with Ebola virus infection to its special facility containment unit within the next several days."
But it was not immediately clear if either Brantly or Writebol would be taken to Emory.
"CDC protocols and equipment are used for these kinds of medical evacuations so that they are carried out safely," Harf added.
This was done in an effort to protect "the patient and the American public, as has been done with similar medical evacuations in the past," she added.
Brantly, 33, became infected with Ebola while working with patients in the Liberian capital of Monrovia as he helped treat victims of the worst Ebola outbreak in history.
The World Health Organization warned West Africa's Ebola-hit nations that the epidemic was spiraling out of control and could spread to other countries.
The WHO raised the death toll by 57 to 729 on Thursday, announcing that 122 new cases had been detected between Thursday and Sunday last week, bringing the total to more than 1,300 since the epidemic began earlier this year.
Source: AFP
Ebola in US Doctor Takes 'Slight Turn For Worse'
The course of Ebola in the American doctor who was infected with the disease has taken a 'slight turn for worse', said his Christian aid agency Thursday.
Advertisement
Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest General Health News
In a tragic incident, a woman in the US experienced the loss of all her limbs as a result of a bacterial outbreak linked to the consumption of contaminated fish.
FluMos-v2, a unique universal influenza vaccine candidate, undergoing a phase 1 trial at NIH, increases recipients' immunity against many influenza viruses.
In Pakistan, the polio campaign focuses on more than 270,000 children under the age of five years, residing in areas with insufficient vaccine coverage.
Dangers of Wrong Diagnosis: Diagnostic errors in healthcare can increase the risk of permanent disabilities and deaths.
Due to our constant connectivity and the ability to be accessible at all times, it has become challenging to separate from work and fully participate in personal life.
