Ebola patient to be transferred to Emory hospital

ATLANTA (AP) — Officials at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta say there are plans for an American aid worker in Africa who has been diagnosed with Ebola to be transferred there for treatment.

The officials say the hospital has a special isolation unit that was built in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that’s used to treat people with certain serious infectious diseases.

The unit is physically separate from other areas, and hospital officials say staff are trained and fully prepared to care for the patient. The patient’s identity hasn’t been released because of privacy laws.

Hospital officials say they’re unsure of when the patient will arrive.

The CDC has about two dozen staffers in West Africa to help try to control the outbreak and plans to send more.

In Washington, the White House said it is looking into options for bringing back two American aid workers sick with Ebola in Liberia. It would be the first time the disease is brought into the country.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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