Two Americans who contracted Ebola in West Africa are being flown back to the U.S. for treatment, according to the State Department.
The department also said they will receive medical care en route, and the government is using a noncommercial aircraft to make sure they are isolated.
Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian aid organization, said one of its missionaries and a physician are in “serious condition” and being evacuated back to the U.S.
{mosads}“The two Americans who contracted Ebola in Liberia remain in the country [Friday], but medical evacuation efforts are underway and should be completed by early next week,” the group said.
The group also said 60 nonessential staff members and their families from Samaritan’s Purse and Serving in Mission are being evacuated from the region. They are expected back in the U.S. by the end of the weekend.
The State Department says it is taking “every precaution” with the two Americans who have contracted Ebola.
At least one of the patients will be transferred to a special containment facility at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), according to reports.
The CDC issued a “Level 3” warning Thursday, the agency’s most serious travel notice, telling Americans not to enter Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where the Ebola outbreak has killed over 700 people.