Obama, Ebola survivor meet in Oval Office

President Obama met in the Oval Office Tuesday with a U.S. doctor who contracted Ebola while treating patients in Liberia, a spokesman said. 

Obama met with Kent Brantly, the Ebola survivor, and his wife, Amber, White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters traveling with the president aboard Air Force One.

{mosads}The meeting occurred shortly before Obama left Washington to announce an escalated U.S. response to the virus at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Brantly and another American medical worker, Nancy Writebol, were successfully treated for Ebola at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Both were given an experimental therapy called ZMapp and fully recovered from the virus, which kills roughly half of those who contract it. 

While at the CDC, the president is expected to meet with doctors who treated Brantly and Writebol about the U.S. response to the outbreak. According to the White House, Obama plans to “thank the scientists, doctors and healthcare workers helping those affected by the disease.”

The president will also receive a briefing from senior CDC and administration officials about efforts to combat the disease in West Africa. In a speech later Tuesday afternoon, Obama will unveil plans to order 3,000 Department of Defense personnel to the region to help contain the disease.

U.S. officials said the military would also work with local officials to establish 17 Ebola treatment facilities across Liberia with 100 beds each, and train African healthcare workers to better contain the disease. The U.S. will also help distribute some 400,000 home healthcare kits in West Africa with disinfectant, sanitizers, medications and information about transporting those who have contracted Ebola to a care unit.