A patient with Ebola is set to be transported to Emory University Hospital "within the next several days."
The hospital does not know whether it is one of the two Americans known to have recently contracted the disease in Liberia.
Tech Times reported earlier that two Americans, a doctor and a missionary working with an aid organization, were being treated after contracting the Ebola virus. Dr. Kent Brantly, medical director for Samaritan's Purse's Ebola care center, and Nancy Writebol, a missionary from the allied aid group Serving in Mission, are in stable condition.
"Emory University Hospital has a specially built isolation unit set up in collaboration with the CDC to treat patients who are exposed to certain serious infectious diseases," the hospital said in the statement. "It is physically separate from other patient areas and has unique equipment and infrastructure that provide an extraordinarily high level of clinical isolation. It is one of only four such facilities in the country."
Doctors and nurses will wear full-body protective suits as a precaution when working with the patient.
The Ebola virus can spread through bodily fluids, putting health care workers treating patients at risk. The doctors and nurses who work with the patient will wear full-body protective suits, the release noted.
The World Health Organization has labeled this outbreak the worst Ebola outbreak in history. American health officials have advised against nonessential travel to the affected countries: Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
"The bottom line is that Ebola is worsening in West Africa," said Dr. Tom Frieden, CDC director, in a statement. "CDC along with others are surging to begin to turn the tide. It's not going to be quick. It's not going to be easy. But we know what to do."
Frieden said there are two challenges that the countries with Ebola are facing: the health systems in the countries are not highly functional and because of the media coverage, groups trying to help have been met with hostility.
He also said the CDC is increasing its response to the current situation.
"Over the next 30 days, we plan to send an additional 50 CDC disease control specialists into the three countries," read the statement. "These individuals will help countries establish emergency operation centers that can develop a structured and effective way of addressing the outbreak."
Frieden did say that he doubted Ebola would spread into the United States.
"So for our own situation where we are able to get good information out, explain how Ebola spreads, we have isolation capacity, health department," Frieden said. "It's not a potential of Ebola spreading widely in the U.S. That is not in the cards."
This outbreak of Ebola has a 60 percent mortality rate.
