dr. richard besser, who is in liberia tonight. you can see images of dr. besser there, suited up, walking through. he spent many years at the cdc himself here in america and rich joins me tonight. and rich, the breaking headline at this hour, you've been in touch with europe sources at the cdc. this patient has been home here in the u.s. for seven days, now positive with ebola. is there real concern tonight about who this patient might have come in contact with? >> reporter: there really is. the hospital will take care of this patient, but the key is finding every single person that the patient came in contact with during the period that they had symptoms. they'll track them, follow them for 21 days. if any of them develop a fever, ghooil into isolation and get tested. >> reporter: so, every person this patient came in contact with, they will now foul local for 21 days. but rich, this caught my eye. this patient had gone to the hospital, was sent home and went back to another hospital. does that concern you that the signs appear to have been missed? >> rep

dr. richard besser. we heard it from linsey there, but what are the warning signs? >> reporter: look for signs of any difficulty breathing. wheezing, difficulty breathing and difficulty speaking. that can be a sign that your child's in trouble, in particular children who have asthma. >> millions of children are back to school. so, what are parents to do? >> reporter: well, you can't eliminate the risk, but good hand washing will help. covering coughs and sneezes. and keeping your child home if they are sick. that will help the spread to others. but i think we're going to be talking about this in more than 11 states. >> rich, thank you. zble we move onto night to the monster rainfall. nearly half a dozen states under flood watches around warnings. records shattered in arizona tonight, and these images pouring in. california, romming rapids in one neighborhood. in phoenix tonight, cars stra s stranded. and in mesa, arizona, that girl kayaking past a basketball hoop. and it's not just in the west tonight. the east under water, as well. two major systems and abc chief m

dr. richard besser. with bpediatrician, a veteran o the cdc. we heard it from linsey there, but what are the warning signs? >> reporter: it's really important looking for the danger signs. look for the signs of any difficulty breathing. wheezing, difficulty breathing and difficulty speaking. that can be a sign that your child's in trouble, in particular children who have asthma. >> we know millions of children are back to school, things spread so quickly, rich. so, what are parents to do? >> reporter: well, you can't eliminate the risk, but good hand-washing will help. covering coughs and sneezes. and keeping your child home if they are sick. that will help the spread to others. but david, i think we're going to be talking about this in more than 11 states. viruses don't respect borders. >> all right, spreading quickly. rich, thank you. >>> we move on tonight to the monster rainfall. the deadly flooding. nearly half a dozen states under flood watches around warnings. a state of emergency in arizona at this hour. records shattered and tonight, t

dr. richard besser in a minute. but first, abc's clayton sandell. >> reporter: this morning, it's a mystery respiratory virus. >> i was having trouble breathing. >> reporter: striking more than 1,000 children across ten states. >> the onset of symptoms is very rapid, usually within hours. >> reporter: doctors believe something called enterovirus 68 may be the culprit. linked to the common cold -- >> it could go from a cold to being minutes away from death. that's kind of scary. >> reporter: it can cause wheezing and is dangerous especially to children with asthma. >> my heart started hurting. after my lungs started sort of closing up. >> reporter: 13-year-old will cornejo, who has asthma got what he thought was a simple cold. it turned out the be much worse. >> he came really close to death. he was unconscious at our house and white as a ghost, blue lips. >> reporter: now recovering at rocky mountain hospital for children in denver, he's making progress. but doctors still have no clue as to what is causing the rare

dr. richard besser, are calling for more dramatic action. our dr. ard besser is back from the hot zone with this report. >> reporter: the tipping point. when this deadly virus spreads into africa may have come this week, in nigeria. from just one case, a diplomat traveling from liberia, a contact held in quarantine snuck out and infected the doctor who treated him. now, 21 my je 1 nigerian cases . in this country, figures can change. look what's done in the rest of west africa. nearly 4,000 cases. more than 2,000 deaths. with more likely undocumented. >> if we don't stop it here, we'll deal with it for years around the world. >> reporter: the world health organization predicts as many as 20,000 infected by year's end. that could be just the beginning. the virus could expand exponentially. this doctor is a leader at the w.h.o. >> at this time, we have to jump on it. because if the numbers keep getting larger and larger, it just means it becomes more difficult to control it. >> reporter: you see this outbreak going on here in west africa. the spread to

dr. richard besser and what we're learning as we come on the air. >>> also breaking tonight, the widening secret service scandal at the white house. how far did that armed intruder get? and the new development here, the one person who stopped him and how. >>> also, the major break just coming in after a shooting at this american high school. the real scare inside. what happened? and tonight, what authorities have just revealed. >>> and, in hot water. america's olympic hero, michael fell list phelps, and that new controversy. and what he's saying tonight.

dr. richard besser has the story. >> reporter: dr. angela lumba on onn of the worst e.r.rantic parents. wheezing children. >> the virus is called enterovir enterovirus. >> reporter: in the nine hours at st. louis children's hospital, we watched the waiting room fill up. penelope, her dad rushing her in. how old are? >> 3 1/2. >> reporter: one thing you should know about the virus -- it can come on quickly. >> noticed the fever today. and coughing. she got it from last night. >> reporter: at least 15 states grappling with suspected cases of the rare respiratory disease. on a normal day in the emergency room, they're seeing 100 kids. yesterday they saw 200. the reason for the increase, all the virus. >> we have had pretty severe patients. at least one, two, three, four severe patients with respiratory symptoms. >> reporter: over how many days? >> just today. [ coughing ] >> reporter: after the coughing and sneezing, a struggle just to breathe. >> hi, i'm dr. besser. >> hi. >> reporter: 2-year-old gemma's parents notice first thing in the morning. >> having trouble breathing

dr. richard besser is standing by back in new york. he's ready to answer your questions on the abc news facebook page, right now after the broadcast. >>> now, to washington tonight, and this image today. president obama meeting with congressional leaders in the oval office today before his high stake lgs primetime address tomorrow night here. he will make the case to the nation about taking on the brial killers of isis. i want to bring in jonathan karl tonight. what can we expect? >> reporter: good evening, david. more than anything, this speech is designed to reassure americans that the president actually has a strategy for taking on the threat posed by isis. white house officials say this battle has entered a new phase in large part because as of yesterday, there is a new iraqi government. that opens up the door for more military support for the iraqis and a more aggressive campaign of usair.ssai.s. air strikes. beginning the process of destroying the group. the president will call for an immediate effort to train rebels in syria tha

dr. richard besser said what is needed is specific. >> reporter: we have to put the people in the treatment centers to provide care. some countries have to say we're building the units we'll put people in there to take care of cases. >> while experts say it's not like that i ebola will spread to the united states, the chances increase everyday as the virus rages out out of control. >> a pregnant woman claims officer with the nypd slammed her to the ground. >> one man went to extremes to make sure his car wasn't scratched, but >> welcome back let's take a look at your traffic scenarios here, first up, ever where it is wet out there, it's going to be slow. this is the schuylkill expressway, a truck ran into the median in the westbound lanes past gulph mills. traffic is not bad, but that will increase as the morning goes on. 422 oaks, rainy conditions, traffic fine on that portion of the 422, but a vehicle went off the road at route 100 westbound. watch for emergency work he wors heading to the scene. >> calling them a scenario makes it look chic. >>> where pilots see green and where they see

dr. richard besser, thank you so much. >>> now a look at the other developing stories. r that we turn to ron claiborne. good morning, ron. >> hi there, good morning to you, paula and dan, dr. besser. good morning, everyone. we begin in california where hundreds of firefighters are battling a massive wildfire in triple-digit heat. dozens of families near the cleveland national forest have been forced to evacuate their homes. right now nearly 400 homes are without power, and the flames are tearing through 1500 acres of dry canyon brush, and it's only about 10% contained. heat and smoke advisories in effect as temperatures may reach as high as 105 degrees fahrenheit in coming days. >>> and overseas in north korea american matthew miller who has been detainedn that country since last april was tried and convicted sunday. just a short while ago sentenced to six years in a labor camp without any chance of appeal of that conviction he was accused of entering north korea illegally and trying to commit an act of espionage. >>> and back in this country, a three-state manhunt under

dr. richard besser. >> reporter: a caravan snaking through the heartland before dawn. the third american patient to come down with ebola, dr. rick sacra. their destination, the university of nebraska medical center, the largest isolation ward in the u.s. >> the transfer went very, very smoothly. our patient is sick but stable. >> reporter: stable, after a 6,000-mile journey from liberia, when i traveled there, i saw firsthand how doctors treating ebola patients protect themselves. this is where they try to sort out what they're patients have. he contracted the deadly disease not in an ebola clinic, but in a normal maternity ward, where he was delivering babies. monday, he e-mailed his missionary organization, apologizing for getting sick. worried that he would distract them from their work fighting the epidemic. he was blunt, saying, "with or without evacuation, i could well die from this disease." still, the decision was made to bring him home. >> rick is clearly sick, but that he was in very good spirits. and he walked onto the plane. >> reporter: a team of 35 doctors

dr. richard besser. >> reporter: she is one of two americans to stare down ebola and survive. >> it is anely place to be. >> reporter: nancy writebol says it was her husband of 40 years who told her she had the deadly disease. >> i remember getting up out of the bed and david wanting to put his arms around me and give me a really great hug. and i just pushed him away. not wanting him to get sick. >> reporter: how hard was that for you? >> how do you tell the love of your life that they have contracted a deadly disease. >> reporter: nancy called herself the clinic's mama bear. seen here in this video. she had the critical job of decontaminating doctors out of the ebola ward. now she was a patient herself. as her condition worsened a critical decision. an emergency flight back to the u.s. was there a period during this when you said good-bye to each other? >> i think for me it was when i got on that plane. because i -- i mean -- i just didn't know. and i know that they had talked that they weren't sure i would even make it to the u.s. >> reporter: she was wheeled into emory university hosp

dr. richard besser. >> reporter: she is one of only two americans to stare down ebola and survive. >> it is a very, very lonely place to be. >> reporter: nancy writebol says it wa is her husband of 40 years who told her she had the deadly disease. >> i remember getting up out of the bed and david wanting to put his arms around me and give me a really great hug, and i just pushed him away, not wanting him to get sick. >> how hard was that for you? >> how do you tell the love of your life that they've contracted a deadly disease. >> reporter: nancy called herself the clinic's mama bear. seen in this video she had the critical job of decontaminating doctors coming out of the ward. now she was a apparent herself. as her condition worsened, a critical decision. an emergency flight back to the u.s. >> was there a period during this where you said good-bye to each other? >> i think for me it was when i got on that plane because i -- i just didn't know. i know that they had talked that they weren't sure that i would even make it to the u.s. >> reporter: she was wheeled into emory university hosp

dr. richard besser and what we're learning as we come on the air. >>> also breaking tonight, the wideningecret service scandal at the white house. how far did that armed intruder get? and the new development here, the one person who stopped him and how. >>> also, the major break just coming in after a shooting at this american high school. the real scare inside. what happened? and tonight, what authorities have just revealed. >>> and, in hot water. america's olympic hero, michael fell list phelps, and that new controversy. and what he's saying tonight.

dr. richard besser, abc medical editor predicts the vier -- virus will spread to other states. "good morning america" will have more on the mystery virus on "action news." >>> christine rugusters is charged with abducting a girl from bryant elementary and molesting her. the girl testified that she left with the woman because she thought it was her mother. >>> thursday marks the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. a ceremony will be held at the garden of reflex in upper makefield to honor the first responders. >>> monday morning many women will start the susan g.komen cancer walk. all the proceeds benefits brees cancer survivors. >>> nick foles looked indecisive and turned the ball over three times in the first half. the jags led 17-0 at the half. the eagles 2ur7b8d -- turned it around in the second. nick foles shook off the rust and connected with jeremy mack kiln for a 68-yard td, the game winner. >> it's frustrating for a second, but you know you have to keep your cool that your teammates are looking to you in that situation. >> all pro left guard mathis left the gam

dr. richard besser says what's needed is specific. >> no one has committed to put the people in the treatment centers to provide care. some of these countries are going to have to say, you're building the treatment units, we're going to put people in there to take care of patients. >> reporter: there are 5,000 cases of ebola reported so far. that much higher according to experts, due to underreporting. the number could rise to 1.4 million by january. a worst-case scenario, according to dr. besser, but there is an alternative. >> if we ramp up and really take charge of this, this could end by january. very different scenario. >> reporter: while experts say it is not likely ebola will spread to the united states, the chances increase with every day the virus ravages out of control. and the administration is ramping up u.s. involvement in the ebola epidemic. the state department naming a new position, ebola coordinator. this person will work with foreign governments and international partners for a speedy and global response. we are live at the u.n. this morning. >> caroline costello, thanks. >>

dr. richard besser has some advice on what you can do. >> reporter: you can't eliminate the risk. but good hand washing will help. covering coughs and sneezes. and keeping your child home if they're sick. that will help prevent the spread to others. i think we'll be talking about this more in 11 states. viruses don't respect borders. >> more than 1,000 children have been sickened by the virus and hundreds have been hospitalized. so far, there have been no fatalities. >>> a fourth american infected with ebola is expected to arrive here this morning. the patient is a doctor who tested positive for the virus. the doctor is being flown to atlanta where dr. kent brantley and nancy ribol recovered. >>> there does not appear to be infection of a u.s. marshal in guarantee after being attacked by a syringe. the marshal boarded this flight to houston, texas. that's where he was met by cdc workers who put him in isolation. the marshal, showing no signs of illness. but investigators said he posed no danger to passengers. >>> air safety officials in holland released a preliminary report this m

dr. richard besser, now on the urgent race against time tonight. >> reporter: i saw firsthand doctors stretchedo the limit battling ebola in west africa. take a look. patients with ebola are everywhere. and today, president obama sounding the alarm, sending those 3,000 military troops to the hot zone. >> it's a potential threat to global security. >> reporter: the american troops will build 17 healthcare centers treating 100 patients each and train as many as 500 health care workers a week. in liberia, we saw doctors with so little. this makeshift clinic a bare bones operation. so he's totally covered up for going into the ebola ward. the final part is putting this hood on, but they don't have hoods that are ready made, so they're making hoods out of other protective equipment. the longer this outbreak lasts, the greater the chance ebola could mutate to an airborne form, unlikely, but dangerous. today, congress heard from dr. kent brantly, who survived the deadly disease. >> we cannot fool ourselves into thinking that the vast atlanta ocean will protect us from the flames of this fire. >> repor

dr. richard besser just back from the er, he saw many of the children for himself today. >> reporter: the most serious cases end up in the intensive care unit. tell me about the kids in the icu. what kind of problems rlt they having? >> mostly respiratory failure, distress, cough, wheezing, congestion. we're having a hard time tre treating them with regular therapies. >> reporter: enterovirus 68 has arrived in the northeast. today at the maimonides hospital -- how long are children waiting? >> it can vary between 3 and 20 hours. >> reporter: 20 hours? it starts like any other viral cold, with fever and a cough. but this one can take a turn. wheezing children can't catch a breath. we watched the e.r. at st. louis children's hospital fill. even bringing in a mobile unit to meet command. having trouble breathing? >> yeah, it started at 6:00 this morning. >> reporter: children with asthma, particularly at risk. >> big deep breath? >> reporter: doctors don't know how many of their patients have enterovirus 68, but they know that parents are getting the message. if a child is having trouble bre

dr. richard besser here with what you need to know.y don't get the shot. >> ignore the flu, think it's trivial. but it is time for flu vaccine. we vaccinate to protect ourselves and those around us who can't get vac cinated. and the nasal spray, now preferred for kids 8 and under, and up to age 50. >> can we do that as well, that would appeal to a lot of adults. >> you can, i can't. but up until age 50, you can get that. for people over 65, i'm not at that group yet. the high dose vaccine provides better protection. that's recommended. >> we put out a call on social media, and we got flooded. one that we heard over and over again, this one from julie kay, why do i feel under the weather for a few days after the shot? >> this is common. redness, soreness in your arm. it's your body reacting to what was injected, and making the immune factors. while you are uncomfortable, it's your body revving up for the flu season. >> from pc life, i struggle with this every year. i rarely get sick. why should i jeopardize myself by getting the shot? >

dr. besser will be taking your questions all morning. tweet him using the handle@dr. richard besser. >>> and a major development overnight as tens of thousands of protesters demand democracy in hong kong. and sedding a deadline of tomorrow for the chinese government to respond to their demand for election reform and for hong kong's leader to step down. they are defending the use of tear gas with the concern that tensions could flare again tonight. >>> and a spectacular fire engulfing a luxury hotel in asia. the hotel was under construction. all of the workers were able to escape in time. >>> the faa is launching a nationwide review of the security procedures following a fire at a control center in chicago still causing delays. they hope to have the computer network replaced by the middle of october. the man charged with setting that fire was denied bail on monday. >>> a tense standoff on live television as a hotel worker was taken hostage in brazil. a man protesting the local government paraded the man around a balcony, forcing him to wire what appeared to be an explosive ves

dr. richard besser, abc news, new york. >>> urban outfitters is apologizing in a tweet over a kent statesweatshirt that many said mocks the ploody attack in 1970 that killed four students. the one of a kind item was part of its sun faded vintage collection. the red stains evocative of natural wear and tear fray. but kent state students and staff say its painfully obvious that's not what urban outfitters was intending. >> trash. absolute trash. >> i'm shocked they are making money off a terrible tragedy. >> in a twitter statement, urban outfitters said it was never our intention to allude to the tragic events that took place at kent state in 1970. the retailer has pulled the sweatshirts from its website and they say they will be destroyed. >>> microsoft is buying a very popular video game mine craft. and that company making it for a $2.5 billion sale. the contribution game is the top selling paid app for android and apple. also popular on xbox. but watch for a version that runs on the windows phone and microsoft surface tablet, both of which suffer from a lack of popular apps available. a

dr. besser is taking your questions throughout the morning. tweet him at dr. richard besser.you have the morning menu. >> i do indeed. i'm going to head over to the social scare. and we are going to talk about "pop news" first. here's what's up on the "gma morning menu." in "pop news". why leo dicaprio is picture perfect right now for a very good cause. >>> and new apps to protect students on college campuses. what parents and students need to know. >>> and outside, a very energetic, amazing terry crews is with us. brand-new host of "who wants to be a millionaire." . he has a question for you guys at home. do it. >> which nfl player was a contestant on "dancing with the stars" but didn't take home the mirror ball trophy? >> not going to tell you yet. we'll reveal it. it's all coming up live on "good morning america"! >> oh, oh, oh! physical activity. but keeping that mix balanced, isn't always easy. so coke, dr. pepper, and pepsi are joining your efforts to find balance with the new initative called mixify. coming together for the first time to talk to teens about balancing w

dr. richard besser takes us deep inside the battle to keep the epidemic from spreading. >>> a major breakthe case of missing student hannah graham. jesse matthew may be connected to another student who was killed. could this hospital worker and former football coach be a serial killer? >>> the beautiful bride revealed. the first look at mr

dr. richard besser abc news medical editor predicts the virus will spread to other states.good morning america" will continue the spread of the mystery virus after "action news." >> a philadelphia school kidnapping and abuse trial could wrap up in the coming days, that is topping our week ahead. christine ruguster abducted a girl and sexually mo let used her. she is expected to testify in her own defense. >>> thursday marks 8913th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks. a ceremony will be held at the garden of reflex honoring the first responders killed in the blast. >>> susan g.koman walk begins monday the proceeds will benefit survive heers. >>> nick foles looked indecisive and turned the ball over in the first half of the game against the jtion -- jacksonville jaguars. the eagles turned it around in the second half scoring 34 straight points. foles shook off the rust and connected with engineer -- jeremy mack lin for the game winner. >> you can't get frustrated, you know you have to keep your cool. >> eagles win 34-17. evan mathis left the game with a knee injury. he'll

dr. richard besser is heading back to liberia for a second time sees firsthand the ravages of the disease> this is the worst ebola outbreak in history and the number of people could jump to 1.4 million in january if unreported cases are counted. >> we will not relent or stop until be halt this epidemic once and or all. >> in the last week along, more countries and organizations as well as the u.n. have stepped up their efforts to address the ebola epidemic. >> just outside a new 6 abc franklin and marshall poll on the race for pennsylvania governor, tom wolf is maintaining a sizeable double digit lead over incumbent tom corbett. 49% prefer wolf, and 31% for corbett. 19% are undecided. it has a sampling error of plus or minus 4% the election is november 4th. >>> gas for under $3 can be found in 23 states including new jersey. alicia vitarelli joins us live from the "action news" big board. >> we just rejoice when the gas prices start with the number 2, you can thank the end of the summer driving season for the drop at the pump and retailers are switching to the less expensive winter blend