An American infected with the Ebola virus in West Africa is returning to the United States. The unnamed aid worker will receive treatment at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
Many people infected with Ebola die. But doctors have been able to keep some people alive if they get immediate treatment in a hospital.
Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, has confirmed that an American with Ebola would be treated in a special area of the hospital. The patient will be separated from other patients in what is called an “isolation unit.” The hospital has one of only four isolation units in U.S. medical centers.
The U.S. State Department is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the issue of Americans infected with Ebola. The officials are discussing ways to get the patients home to the U.S. They said Americans who are infected would be treated carefully. And they said the patients would be kept away from other people during travel to the U.S. and while in treatment.
Two other Americans became infected with Ebola while caring for infected people at a medical center in Liberia. One is a doctor from the state of Texas named Kent Brantly. Another is a religious worker from North Carolina named Nancy Writebol. It is not known if they will be brought to the United States for treatment.
The United States has issued travel warnings for Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Ebola has affected those countries more severely than any others.
I’m Caty Weaver.
This story was based on reports from Pam Dockins, Kells Hetherington and Mary Alice Salinas. It is written by Christopher Cruise and edited by Caty Weaver.
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