A doctor from Sierra Leone infected with Ebola had arrived in the United States to be treated for the deadly virus, the Nebraska Medical Centre said.
Dr Martin Salia, a permanent US resident, had been treating Ebola patients at Connaught Hospital in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown.
The medical evacuation was being facilitated by the US government at the request of Dr Salia’s wife, a US citizen who agreed to reimburse all expenses, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Just as we have done in previous cases, every precaution is being taken to ensure the evacuation is completed safely and securely, that critical care is provided en route, and that strict isolation is maintained, Ms Psaki said.
The patient was critically ill, according to a statement from the medical centre, citing reports from health workers in Sierra Leone.
The hospital said his exact condition would be evaluated, but Dr Salia was possibly sicker than the first patients successfully treated in the United States.
The Nebraska Medical Centre was one of a handful equipped to handle Ebola cases in the US.
We immediately started preparing the unit and notifying staff members of this possibility, said bio-containment unit medical director Phil Smith.
We’ve obviously been through this a couple of times before so we know what to expect, he said.
It’s been reported that Dr Salia has several children.
Nine people had been treated for the killer virus in the US.
Liberian-born Thomas Eric Duncan died from the disease after travelling from his home country.
The Ebola outbreak had killed more than 5,100 people in Africa and infected nearly 15,000 people in total, mostly in hardest hit Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Despite some hopeful signs, Liberia had lifted its state of emergency in relation to the disease.
The DR Congo announced the end of its own unrelated outbreak of Ebola, but the deaths of three people in Mali had fuelled fears of a new African hotspot.