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First Ebola Patient Coming to USA for Treatment

One of two Americans infected with ebola in West Africa will be brought to the United States for treatment at Emory University.

One of two Americans infected with ebola in West Africa will enter the U.S. for treatment at Emory University in Atlanta “in the next several days,” according to an internal memo sent to physicians on Thursday and seen by The Daily Beast.

The memo offers few other details about the patient, with no stated time of arrival or departure city, or indicators as to the exact identity of the patient. In absence of specifics, the hospital says it’s “prepared and ready” for the arrival, with a “highly specialized, isolated unit” that it designed with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, headquartered nearby.

CNN reported that a specialized medical plane was already en route to Liberia on Thursday night. Staff at the hospital have reportedly been “highly trained” as well and are aware of “unique protocols” that will be necessary to treat the patient.

Vince Dollard, associate vice president of communications for Emory, declined to say who the arriving patient is, exactly, but did confirm that it is either Dr. Kent Brantly or Nancy Writebol, two U.S. charity workers infected in Africa. Both remain in serious condition.

Writebol received an “experimental serum” Thursday afternoon while Brantly was given a blood transfusion. This is the first time a patient infected with the ebola virus, which can kill up to 90 percent of the people it infects in a matter of days, has been brought to the United States or the Western Hemisphere.

The disease is a spread via bodily fluids, necesitating strict isolation for the patients and thorough decontamination. Health care workers like Brantly and Writebol place themselves at great risk to treat diseases like ebola.

In a call with reporters Tuesday, Stephan Monroe, deputy director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases at the CDC, assured listeners that the outbreak posed “little risk” to America, adding that the chances of anyone infected arriving undiagnosed were slim. In another call Thursday afternoon, CDC Director Tom Frieden said plans were in place to stop ebola-infected people from boarding planes in West Africa. The hospital says it’s “prepared and ready” for the arrival.

After advising against travel to the affected areas, Frieden said increased caution is warranted. “The bottom line is that Ebola is worsening in West Africa,” he said. The CDC plans to send 50 more staff members to Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone in the next month, adding to the dozen CDC workers that are already there. “It will take many months, and it won’t be easy, but ebola can be stopped,” said Frieden. “We know what needs to be done.”

The text of the memo sent to Emory physicians follows: This email is sent on behalf Robert Bachman, CEO, EUH; Bill Bornstein, M.D., Ph.D., CQO, CMO, EHC; Ira Horowitz, M.D., CMO, EUH; and Chris Larsen, M.D., D.Phil., Dean, Emory University School of Medicine:

Dear Physicians, You may hear in the media that Emory University Hospital plans to receive a patient with Ebola virus infection in the next several days. We do not know at this time when the patient will arrive.

Please be assured that our hospital is prepared and ready. We have a highly specialized, isolated unit in the hospital that was set up in collaboration with the CDC to treat patients who are exposed to certain serious infectious diseases.

This unit is physically separate from other patient areas and has unique equipment and infrastructure that provide an extraordinarily high level of clinical isolation. In fact, Emory University Hospital is one of just four facilities in the entire country with such a specialized unit.

Emory University Hospital physicians, nurses and staff are highly trained in the specific and unique protocols and procedures necessary to treat and care for this type of patient. For this specially trained staff, these procedures are practiced on a regular basis throughout the year, so we are fully prepared for this type of situation.

We will provide you with any updates as needed. Thank you for your commitment to the privacy and well-being of our patients. Bob, Bill, Ira and Chris