Ebola patient headed for Emory
A plane took off yesterday afternoon headed for Liberia to retrieve the two Ebola patients, Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who worked at a medical center operated by the North Carolina-based Samaritan’s Purse, and bring them back to the United States for treatment of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
Photo/CDC
It is reported that Atlanta-based, Emory University hospital will be receiving one of the patients. Emory is one of only a few hospitals that have isolation units to deal with patients infected with agents like EVD.
In a State Department press briefing yesterday, spokesperson, Marie Harf said, “The State Department, together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who has the lead for the U.S. Government in the Ebola situation, is working to facilitate access to aviation services for medical evacuations for U.S. citizens directly affected by the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. If and when that happens – it has not happened yet – every precaution will be taken to move the patients safely and securely, to provide critical care en route, and to maintain strict isolation upon arrival in the United States. The State Department’s Office of Medical Services has deployed its chief of infectious disease to West Africa in order to provide on-the-ground consultation and guidance to health unit staff regarding protective measures and case recognition as well. There’s a host of other things we’re doing, but there has been some misreporting out there on whether people had actually begun.”
Yesterday, Samaritan’s Purse reported that Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol were in stable but grave condition.
[…] it was reported that Emory was only receiving one Ebola infected patient. However, Emory officials confirmed today that the second patient infected with […]