The American aid workers, who were involved in efforts to curb the deadly virus in the African nation when they were infected, will be taken to a hospital at Emory University, near the headquarters of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, to be treated.
Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol (pictured above) were in "stable but grave" condition as of early Thursday morning, a relief organization said. It is not known when the plane transporting them will land.
Their arrival in the U.S. will mark the first time in history that patients diagnosed with the Ebola virus will be in the nation.
The virus, which at this point has been confined to West African nations, has no known cure or vaccine. An experimental serum, however, was administered to Writebol this week. Symptoms of Ebola, which usually manifest in two to 21 days, include fever, headaches, weakness and vomiting, and internal and external bleeding.
According to the World Health Organization, 1,323 people have been infected. About 730 people have died in what health officials are calling the largest Ebola outbreak in history.
It could take three to six months to stem the epidemic in West Africa, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, told reporters on Thursday.
We'll keep you updated with the latest. For more quick facts on the deadly virus
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