Second American Aid Worker Arrives In U.S. For Ebola Treatment

The second U.S. aid worker stricken with the Ebola virus while working in Liberia has arrived to receive treatment in the U.S.

Nancy Writebol, who worked at an ebola clinic in Liberia run by Samaritan's Purse, arrived in Atlanta, Georgia on Tuesday and was safely transported to Emory University Hospital, located near the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the receive treatment for the Ebola virus that she was infected with late last month.

Writebol joins Dr. Kent Brantly at the Emory University Hospital. The two aid workers were infected with the virus at the same clinic in Liberia, and initially, Brantly demanded that Writebol receive an experimental drug for Ebola instead of himself. It was later confirmed that both aid workers had received the drug, and although it this is the first time it has been used on humans, it is reportedly working effectively at improving the patients' symptoms.

After his wife arrived at the Atlanta-area hospital, husband David Writebol expressed his relief that his wife was showing signs of improvement. "A week ago we were thinking about making funeral arrangements for Nancy," Writebol said at the news conference. "Now we have a real reason to be hopeful."

Despite taking the proper precautions for avoiding infection of the disease, both Writebol and Brantly were infected while working at their west African clinic. The disease has rapidly spread throughout the West Africa region, killing nearly 900 people since its outbreak began in Guinea in March 2014. This recent exposure has been deemed the world's largest Ebola outbreak in history, spanning from Sierra Leone and Nigeria as well.