Second Ebola Patient Arrives In The U.S.

The second American Ebola patient, Nancy Writebol, arrived in Atlanta on Tuesday for specialized treatment of the dangerous virus. Writebol's arrival at the Emory University Hospital comes just three days after Dr. Kent Brantly, an American doctor working in West Africa, was admitted to the facility for Ebola treatment. Brantly and Writebol were both caring for Ebola patients in West Africa when they were diagnosed with the potentially fatal virus.

According to The Associated Press, the ambulance aircraft carrying Writebol left the airport in Monrovia, Liberia, about 1:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday morning. She's expected to arrive at Dobbins Air Force Base, located just outside of Atlanta, before being taken to the Emory hospital where Brantly is also being treated. Emory hosts a special intensive care unit for infectious diseases, created in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The hospital is known as one of the leading U.S. health care facilities for these types of illnesses.

A member of Christian missionary group SIM USA, Writebol was working at the same Liberian medical mission with Brantly when she contracted the Ebola virus. Her husband, David, was also working alongside her in Liberia, but he is currently in good health. According to the organization, Writebol is in serious but stable condition, and has been able to get out of bed for a short period of time.

"We are so grateful and encouraged to hear that Nancy’s condition remains stable and that she will be with us soon," Bruce Johnson, president of SIM USA, said in a statement. "Her husband, David, told me Sunday her appetite has improved and she requested one of her favorite dishes — Liberian potato soup — and coffee."

Before leaving West Africa, Writebol was given a second dose of an experimental Ebola treatment, CBS News reported. The treatment has never been tested on humans. "We tested it in monkeys, it looks very good, it protects monkeys completely from challenge with Ebola," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, told CBS News.

Brantly also received a dose of the experimental serum before leaving West Africa last Saturday. According to a statement from his organization, Samaritan's Purse, Brantly's condition is improving. “He thanked everyone for their prayers and asked for continued prayer for Nancy Writebol’s safe return and full recovery," said his wife, Amber.

The Ebola outbreak has killed more than 880 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, according to the World Health Organization. In Liberia alone, 225 people have died from the virus this year.

Images: Getty Images, SIM USA