2 Americans infected with Ebola in Liberia coming to Atlanta hospital

Atlanta (CNN) -- The Ebola virus is coming to the United States for what's thought to be the first time, as two Americans return home after getting infected while helping others cope with the outbreak ravaging West Africa.

The first patient is expected to arrive in the United States on Saturday afternoon, U.S. officials said. The aircraft carrying that person will land at Georgia's Dobbins Air Reserve Base, then take off again for Liberia to get the second American infected with Ebola.

Both are expected to head to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, according to Dr. Bruce Ribner, who oversees the special isolation unit where they will be treated. On Friday, he described the patients as "stable" and "safe to transport."

There was an Ebola strain tied to monkeys -- Ebola-Reston -- in the United States during the 1990s, though no humans got sick from it, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thus, what is happening now appears to be the first time a symptomatic person with Ebola will be in the country and treated at a U.S. hospital.
[link to www.cnn.com]