First of 2 American Ebola patients arrives in Atlanta
The first Ebola patient to ever receive treatment in the United States has arrived at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
The New York Times reports the doctor arrived at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, Georgia, northwest of Atlanta. He traveled to the United States from Liberia on a specially designed aircraft that is used to transport patients with infectious diseases.
The doctor is said to be Dr. Kent Brantly. He was working on behalf of a religous organization called Samaritan's Purse.
Images of the plane carrying Dr. Brantly as taxied at the air base were seen on Twitter.
Ebola patient Dr. Kent Brantly has arrived in Atlanta, @11AliveNews reports pic.twitter.com/r6PPUFfe0G
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) August 2, 2014
He was then transferred to Emory University Hospital via ambulance and police escort.
Ambulance carrying first Ebola patient on US soil en-route to Atlanta hospital (via NBC11) pic.twitter.com/RqDqcuT2ni — PzFeed Top News (@PzFeed) August 2, 2014
Brantly is expected to be joined shortly by Nancy Writebol, another aid worker who was working at the same Liberian hospital as Dr. Brantly. Her arrival is expected to occur sometime next week, according to the Times.
At least four different specialists in infectious diseases have been assigned to Dr. Brantly's care, along with a number of nurses and other specialists who can be called upon as needed.
The Ebola patients will be kept at Emory hospital in a separate ward, away from the rest of the hospital's population. They will be separated from the medical staff by glass, and communication will only take place over telephone and intercom.
The facilities where the two will be staying have been used to house others suspected of falling ill with highly infections diseases such as SARS. Those cases turned out to be negative, so Dr. Brantly is the first person actually infected with a disease to recieve treatment at these facilities.
