and we're told that the brantly family had been praying for nancy writebol and the writebol family thanked them for their prayers. to your second question, at mt. sinai in new york city last night, there was a case of a man who came into the emergency room complaining of symptoms similar to the symptoms you would have with ebola. out of an abundance of caution they isolated him almost immediately because he was recently to west africa so he had the symptoms, traveling in west africa. they took no chances. they put him in isolation. they sent some lab work off to the centers for disease control which is right up the street from where i am. we have not yet gotten word about what those tests showed but the new york city public health department last night said it was unlikely that that was the case of ebola. andrea? >> kate snow, thank you so much. dr. chandra, thank you for your experience joining us today. much more ahead here. as we continue to bring you the latest developments on both of these major breaking stories following this hour. >>> coming up, expecting an update from the pentagon

nancy writebol is said to be in serious but stable condition. her colleague and fellow american is also being treated be at cnn national correspondent john roberts outside of emory university hospital in atlanta with the latest. john. >> a specially equipped aircraft landed about a half an hour ago, a bit of an unusual delay getting nancy writebol off the aircraft, i assume she is probably dawning one of those biocontainment suits. he was the first american evacuated back on saturday. mention her condition is serious but stable. she has always been in better condition. her husband, david, who will follow her back from liberia describe the condition yesterday as brightening somewhat from what had been before to get her appetite back, was enjoying her favorite meal which was iberian potato soup. so things are looking pretty good for her. it may be the reason they came back from death door is last week they both received a dose of experimental model antibody serum that at least for the doctor has saved his life so they will be coming here. he has b

so it has been given to kent brantly and to nancy writebol. but we're going to hear in the news conference today, that the doctors don't know where they're taking the experimental drug. you need to have a situation where the doctors can give the drug to a certain group of people. and then to another group of people, and then they can evaluate the results. that has not happened. and all that has happened is the zmapp has been tested on animals, and now it's tested on dr. kent bratly, and nancy writebol. and now it's gone. >> there is dr. brantly in the blue shirt. and he appears to be quite well. the first american ever to be treated on american soil. and he's the first american to survive the ebola virus. that virus at the time was known, and there's another american citizen who says that he survived the ebola virus, but at the time of his survival, it was not known that he suffered from it. >it. this is the scene from atlanta. >> i'm pleased to introduce this morning, dr. bruss rivner, mel director of emery's infectious disease unit at emery

the plane carrying nancy writebol touched down.he second ebola patient being brought to the united states. she's brought to the hospital where she'll continue her treatment inside an isolated unit at emery hospital. we go back to the hospital. she's looking about 25-minute ride, approximately, from the air force base to emery university. we have details, at least, about the isolation unit where she's seek the rest of her care. >> that's correct. it's similar to what we saw with dr. kent brantly. it's about 25 to 30 minute ride with a law enforcement escort through the metro streets of atlanta and she's whisk to the specialty isolation unit. in the unit we have patient rooms that are separate from the rest of the hospital. a laboratory completely dedicated to the unit. even its own air filtration system to minimize the risk of any infected or contagious elements getting outside. we're told all testing material, all garbage is burned from the unit. it is, as they say, the highest degree of clinical isolation. now writebol is reported

kenneth brantly and nancy wri writeboll were released from emery hospital. both of them were given an experimental treatment that schad never been tested on humans. meanwhile the outbreak with ebola continues to get worse globally. the world health organization says there have been hundreds of more deaths in the last few days. they're putting it at around 1,300 people. angry crowds tried to escape an area that's been quarantined. the director of the institute's allergy and infectious disease center. and arthur kaplan, the director of the public health department in atlanta. doctor, let me start with you, i heard so many people say when the news was revealed that these two people had been cured. in just three weeks, here's you've had this medical break through. what are your thoughts today? >> i don't think you can call this a medical break through because i don't think we could definitively say at all that it was the medication that they got that made them better. because remember, about 50% of people survive ebola anyway, even under conditions that are not

both he and nancy writebol credit their faith with their recovery.ear the full interview with nancy writebol's suns coming up today on the today show at 7:00 after this newscast, but i can tell you that the sons say the last three weeks have been the lowest of the lows and the highest of the highs. >> what a relieved family, thank you very much. >>> 6:53 right now. police are hoping new surveillance video can help them track down whoever beat a san francisco man to death. police are calling the man in the video a person of interest for killing brian higgins. hig bs was found -- higgins was found brutally beating in fact castro two weeks ago. the man shows a man chasing him the morning he was found unconscious in the neighborhood. higgins was taken off life support last week. he was a member of the radical ferries. movement of gay men searching for a spiritual kmengs do their -- dimension to their sexuality. they do not know whether yet this is a hate crime. >>> homeowners being fined for trying to save water during the state's severe drought. fran pe

carrying nancy writebol after her very long journey. she is of course that american aid worker stricken by the ebola virus in africa. she was treated with an experimental drug called zmapp. she showed some signs of progress, as did brantly who arrived just two days ago. the same protocol. the same plane. and right now is on the especially equipped ambulance. it's like an isolation ambulance. she is likely with a caregiver as dr. brantly was as well when he arrived at the hospital. our dr. sanjay gupta, our chief medical correspondent, standing by live at emory. that ambulance just crossing the intersection is getting very close to your location, sanjay. >> yep, we can hear the activity, ashleigh, there's a helicopter, maybe more than one helicopter, flying overhead. i sort of get an idea of where that ambulance is now. it's a little bit of a convey. this is the hospital just behind me here just to give you an idea. they're going to be pulling in behind that building or close to it. probably the same door that we saw dr. brantly get in j

christian missionary nancy writebol just arrived.lane left bangor, maine, where the plane refueled after picking her and a team up from liberia. >> want to bring in dr. gupta who's outside of that hospital at emory university in atlanta. also with us, anthony fauci, director of the national institutes of health. >> why don't we take some viewer questions. we have one here, who tweeted, dr. gupta, as a virus, this obviously has a lot of people scared. how fast does this serum work? >> well, it's a good question, and i'll point out again that dr. brantly was the first patient in the world to receive this. what was described by health care professionals on the ground was at the time he received this, he was quite sick, having difficulty breathing. his vital signs started to fluctuate. he had a profound rash that was over the trunk of his body it and they say within 20 minutes, he started to have some effect of that. within an hour, his breathing started to improve. and keep in mind, this was on thursday that he was this sick. described

nancy writebol is in serious condition but according to her son --. >> she was eating. able to take in fluid. we are cautiously optimistic. >> the drug, a cocktail of antibodies was created in san francisco. >> nancy is able to walk around and, really, the good news is her appetite started to return. >> doctors say it sun likely it will vote in the united states. bringing the two parents here does not pose a threat to the public. emory university hospital has a specially built isolation unit. the ambulance that transported them here will be bleached, their sheets burned. the rest the world is on alert. other doctors are watching for ebola-like symptoms and a man was tested in new york yesterday at a hospital. >> odds are it is not ebola. >> the doctors in saudi arabia are testing a critically ill patient just in sierra leone. >> this is the largest outbreak in history for ebola so there are serious concerns about it spreading. british airways announced they are suspending flights to and from liberia and sierra leone. >> thanks. a heart stopping water rescue on nevada hi

that's her wheeling in nancy writebol. the two patients did they talk to you? >> they did. they were both talking to us. >> reporter: i think we had this image that they were going to be unconscious? >> i think that's the biggest misconception with so much of it. we assume the movie "contact" and "outbreak" and we assume everybody is going to be these horror show, near-zombie people, that will take over the world. and it is not anywhere close to that. >> reporter: john aravalo was the other paramedic in full protective gear yesterday. >> you just go into it like this. the ambulance was lined with plastic now disinfected. you decontaminated this unit -- >> for four hours. >> twice. >> yeah. >> reporter: nancy writebol was wearing clothing, hazmat suit, face mask and then wrapped in another nonpermable layer. >> we don't want fluid contact. >> reporter: even with all of those precaution s they're checking themselves. how often do you have to check? >> every day. >> reporter: just like everyone treating the ebola patients. >> we try to have a nurse present in the room as neede

the other missionary nancy writebol has already been released. the live news conference any moment now. >>> well here we go on this thursday. welcome to "at this hour." i'm ma kayla pereira. john berman is off. so much more at this hour. cooler heads seem to be prevailing in ferguson, missouri. a short time ago attorney general eric holder spoke about his visit there. and about the investigation into michael brown's death. >> the people of ferguson can have confidence in the federal agents, investigators and prosecutors who are leading this process. our investigation will be fair, it will be thorough, and it will be independent. the national outcry we have seen speaks to a sense of mistrust and mutual suspicion that can take hold in the relationship between law enforcement and certain communities. >> it would appear that on the streets of ferguson, things seem to be calming down. the latest protests overnight were more peaceful, a few minor disturbances. only about six arrests. the relative calm could mean a shift in focus away from the fury and

>> a lot of people anticipating the arrival, as you talk about, of nancy writebol. she's expected to be on the ground late this morning. here at the hospital sometime at noon. when the wheels touch down on that jet, she will be back in the u.s. but still a long way from a full recovery. she began the long journey over night. her son is anxious to get his mom back on american soil and knows exactly what he will say to her when he finally gets the chance. >> i love you. and then i'm going to encourage her -- we know that god is good and we trust him. >> writebol is expected to arrive around noon and will be transferred to this isolation unit at emory hospital, the first two ebola patients in the united states. she contracted the virus while working in africa. they have both improved after receiving doses of z money hap. >> the head of the missionary group says it may also be another aspect of their mission. >> if they had to suffer this in order to see tens of thousands and maybe more lives saved, they would say i'm willing to go through what i'm going through. >> but

infected with eastbound remarks nancy writebol is said to be improving after receiving a dose of an experimental drug. the 59-year-old missionary from charlotte was in liberia helping to dee contaminate doctors and got sick. >> she was eating a little bit, able to take in fluid. so, you know, we're cautiously optimistic. >> reporter: according to the president of writebol's missionary group, nancy's condition has improved enough to make special requests. >> she asked for her favorite liberian meal of potato soup and coffee. >> reporter: dr. kent brantly who arrived in the u.s. on saturday in a full bio suit is also taking the experimental drug and we've learned his fever is lower. it's not clear if the experimental treatment is the reason the americans are improving. ebola has already killed almost 900 people in three african countries, only 44 percent of patients survive. the scare has u.s. health officials on alert. at new york's mount sinai hospital a male patient who had recently traveled to west africa was treated for fever and gastrointestinal problems.

conference we learned nancy writebol had been discharged on tuesday. the emory doctors were asked why she was roeleased on tuesday an why it was not disclosed to the public. writebol's family wanted privacy and doctors were so confident and stressed so much they felt this was not a public health threat that they felt they needed to respect her wishes. and that's their first priority. so it's really a remarkable day here at emory. less than three weeks ago, these patients arrived here, by all accounts, have made a stunning recovery. >> you made an important point about this not being a public health threat. that's something they emphasized in this announcement. another thing that came up, the emory doctor who treated them spoke about the experimental drugs. take a listen to that. >> an experimental gene is exactly that. they are the very first individuals to ever receive this agent. there is no prior experience with it and, frankly, we do not know whether it helped them, whether it made no difference foreit or if it even delayed their recovery. >> you sp

tonight, nancy writebol is expected to leave liberia where she battling the disease. he is expected to arrive in the united states tomorrow. traveling on a special plane that was used to transport her colleague, dr. brant bring to the hospital. his health is improving and nancy writebol's son said his mom is hopeful. >> she is fighting but weak. she can sit up and receive treatment. she can even eat a little bit and taking fluid. >> both brantley and nancy writebol were given an experimental serum but there is in prove were cure. doctors in atlanta can give them a better chance of recovery. >> the death toll from a strong earthquake in china rose with 398 people killed in the 6.3 earthquake with southfield -- with surveillance video showing the shaking. it levels 12,000 homes. trim mars remain health 200 miles away the most severe earthquake to hit the region in a century. >>> new details from ohio where the mayor of toledo is telling residents to drink up. he lift add these day ban on water use this morning. hundreds of thousands were toll not to drink, brush their t

he and nancy writebol had to be rescued, flown 5,000 miles home to the u.s. brantly, describing the day he started feeling ill. "i immediately isolated myself. when the result was positive, i remember a deep sense of peace that was beyond all understanding. god was reminding me, he will give me everything i need to be faithful to him." today, we heard too from nancy writebol's husband. >> i don't believe we can say she's in the clear. >> reporter: he says she's received a third dose of that experimental serum, but her family still has to speak with her through a clear wall and intercom. a good sign -- she's asked for starbucks, and her sons have delivered. her husband, still in liberia, hoping to rush stateside once it's clear he's not infected. the families of the missionaries hospitalized here say it's important to remember that they chose to work in the ebola hot zone, because of the incredible need, david. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >> thank you. >>> and to ohio tonight, a kind of homecoming for lebron james. the city abuzz of this image, a super

unfortunately -- >> but thanks to an scompeertmental drug nancy writebol and kent brantly appear to be holding their own. >> we kept our faith. >> the world health organization began meeting today to decide if the ebola outbreak amount to an international public health emergency. in recent years it's only done this twice, for swine flu in 2009 and for polio in may. >> police chase two bike riders and today one of those riders has died. >> more than a billion usernames and passwords hacked. we'll tell you how you'll find out if have been a victim. next. >> and d.c. tops the new list, thanks to all of the restaurants, the entertainment and diversity here. >> a security breach affecting more than 1 billion passwords can put your private information at risk. >> russian hackers are responsible for this we are told. >> the numbers are staggering. analysts say one in five people with accounts and passwords to anything may be impacted by the breach by russian gangs. >> it is potentially the most worst security breach to date. it is forcing people everywhere today to reexamine their account. ha

he contracted it along with nancy writebol. he was flown to dobbins air force base and then transported about 15 miles this transport will take place from the airport to the hospital. the hospital is one of the most sophisticated hospital isolation units in the country. it will be the first time anyone affected with the disease has been brought to the u.s. officials here are confident that patients can be treated without putting the public in any danger. >> the reason we are bringing these patients back to our facility is because we feel they deserve to have the highest level of care offered for their treatment. >> reporter: now, emory university hospital is just down the street from the centers for disease control and prevention. it's one of four such units in the entire country that can actually handle this type of disease, this type of highly contagious disease. so only four locations, one being just outside of atlanta here where emory hospital is located. nancy writebol also worked for samaritan's purse. she will be the nex

nancy writebol arrived on a stretcher, encased from head to toe. >> nancy is still very weak, showing signs of progress and is moving in the right direction. and nancy had yogurt before she got on the airplane. >> reporter: bruce johnson spoke with nancy's husband david who's still arranging his own travel from liberia. >> a week ago he said, we were thinking about possible funeral arrangements, yet we kept our faith. now we have a real reason to be hopeful. >> reporter: the evacuation of the two americans is being paid for by the relief organizations they work for. writebol's two sons came to atlanta to meet her. her son jeremy saying, he just needed to be with mom today. while she's now in a world class isolation unit, the family wants people to remember those suffering in west africa. >> i don't know if you know, but there are 50 doctors, liberian doctors for four million people of liberia. >> reporter: when writebol left liberia last night, there was no ambulance, just a pickup truck covered with plastic. kate snow, nbc news, atlanta. >> reporter: i'm dr. nancy snyderman at hartsf

. >> my dear friend, nancy writebol, wanted me to share her gratitude for all of the prayers on her behave. as she walked out, all she could say was, to god be the glory. >> reporter: nancy's son, one of the many so glad her mom could come home. >> that was an emotional time. dad told me about it. they hadn't been able to see each other for several weeks. she was able to come out of the bed and they put their hands together on the glass. one of those serene moments. >> reporter: for the last three weeks, dr. kent brantly and nancy writebol for fighting for their lives. a plane flew them to atlanta. they had to recover in an isolation unit. quarantined from the world. >> we had 5 physicians, 21 nurses who cared for these 2 patients during their hospitalization. >> reporter: the doctors here worked around the clock with the best medical equipment available to keep them alive, while the families prayed for the best. today, those prayers were answered. doctors gave both patients a clean bill of health. >> there's no evidence that once a patient had cleared the virus from their blood that they

. >> thank you very much. >>> i want to bring in bruce johnson, president of the organization nancy writebol statement that said, we'll read a brief part of it, during the course of her fight, nancy recalled the dark hours of fear and loneliness but the deep abiding peace and presence of god giving her comfort. dr. brantly also talked about god. how big of a role do you think faith played in the fact they did not die and recovered? >> well, i think that statement really shows that they had a realistic picture of what they are facing and also showed the deep faith they have and that brings great comfort to us as followers of jesus christ. so i think for them, they were facing this but certainly, people of faith, people of prayer and really people around the world lifting them up in prayer. >> how is nancy doing? we saw dr. brantly today. we know nancy is home, but we haven't yet heard from her. can you tell us? >> absolutely. i've been able to talk with nancy, as well as her husband, david. nancy's voice sounded strong, had a good conversation with her. it was classic nancy, just expressing g

thank you. >> nancy writebol and dr.ent brantly have asked for prison see, and he will come back in a month. >> as the world condemns the killing of u.s. journalist, james foley, the islamic state has hit with more airstrikes. 20 airstrikes after the militants threatened to kill another hostage. yesterday, they hit near where they beheaded foley. they tried to free foley and others, but failed. libby, what more do we know about this secret rescue attempt? >> well, it's a mission that the u.s. officials said that they had no plans to reveal. but imminent press reports forced their hand, that's according to a spokeswoman. the attorney general, eric holder, spoke about the killing of james foley and said that he was appalled. and they are actively pursuing justice and it's an open case. >> this justice department, this department of defense and this nation, we have long memories and our reach is very wide. we will not forget what happened. and people will be held accountable, one way or the other. >> the attorney general ec

. >> nancy writebol, his colleague in liberia left the hospital on tuesday.rs have declared both clear of the virus. >> applause greeted dr. brantly at the news conference announcing the release. >> today is a miracle. >> the missionary doctor used the time in the spotlight to say thank you. >> i express my sincere gratitude to all involved if my treatment and care. above all, i am forever thankful to god for sparing my life. >>the medical director at emory hospital assuring the public he is not contagious. >> he has recovers from the ebola virus infection. he can return to his family. to his community and to his life without public health concerns. >> the same for missionary worker nancy writebol who was dischampioned without fanfare on tuesday, her choice to go quietly. the two were working in the ebola ward of a field hospital in liberia and they got sick. both were given an experimental drug. paramedics wear, haz-mat for protection property the medicine. 1,300 have lost their life in west africa. 40 percent of the parents five with the right care. >>> dr.

. >>> we're tracking the plane carried nancy writebol. she's minutes away from landing at done -- donens air base. first let's head to the middle east. >>> a cease-fire in gaza that seems to be holding as israeli troops move out. in fact, we are now eight hours into the israel-gaza cease-fire and so far all is quiet. people are out on the streets, heading home, shops and market places are open. it seems like this 72-hour cease-fire might be the one that actually holds. but it didn't look that way just minutes before the truce took hold when hamas fired several rockets into israel, a show of force before the calm. the signs of a month of fighting obvious. in the past month more than 40,000 homes in gaza have been damaged or destroyed, causing more than $6 billion in damages, today's truce marks the 9th cease-fire in three weeks. the shortest one so far had lasted three minutes. they pledge to send a delegation to cairo to discuss a long term solution if this cease-fire holds. anderson cooper is near the israeli-gaza border with more. hi, a

kent brantly and nancy writebol are being treated with an experimental serum. until now it had only been tested in monkeys. it prevents the virus from entering cell it's in body. >> unfortunately by the time we used the serum most of the virus is already inside the cells of the patient. and so we have to prevent new infection but the old infection just has to run its course. >> reporter: both nancy writebol and kent brantly are said to be improving. as far as the patient here at mt. sinai doctors will see his test results in the next day or so, but again, anne-marie, they do not expect him to be infected with ebola. >> thank you, ko. >>> now, to the middle east where we're just hours into another try at peace. a new cease-fire agreement is in place between israel and hamas. the temporary peace deal may be a sign of something long term. but both sides remain ready to fight. susan mcginnis is in washington. good morning. >> good morning, anne-marie. yes, another truce is under way and appears to be holding. at least this one was agreed to by both sides among this

officials confirm nancy writebol will depart with a team.aid to be holding her own and in good spirits. her colleague, dr. brantly is already receiving treatment in emory hospital. his condition is improving. doctors insist there was no choice but to bring the patients back to the united states. >> most of the medical care consists of support and our senses, based on speaking to providers in that part of the world that given our training, given our knowledge, given our unit, we can supply that care much better than can be supplied in their current environment. >> we are tracking the developments live from london. really complicated and unprecedented, the scope of this effort. >> reporter: absolutely, john. we have heard the u.s., the american citizen is going to arrive sometime on tuesday. we heard specialized air ambulance with an isolation unit already left on sunday. in fact, to pick up nancy writebol from liberia. nancy and dr. kent infected in liberia. nancy was an aid worker out there. she will join dr. kent at emory university hospita

the patients nancy writebol and dr. kent brantly, both had a cowl to service and they both found themselves caring for the sick in the ebola center in liberia. they were caring for their patients even know they could be risking their own lives. >> i don't think it was on any of our minds when the first wave of the epidemic hit in april and we got word of it, we knew that that was a potential that they would have to deal with. >> within the months of the first reports of ebola in guinea it had crossed borders to liberia and sierra leone. i traveled to west africa to report on the epidemic and even then it was apparently that it was quickly growing into the deadliest ebola outbreak in history. it can only be passed on through bodily fluids like blood but even a single virus article may be enough to cause the fatal disease. it was last week when writebol and brantly began experiencing symptoms of ebola, fever, headaches, vomiting. they suspected the worst and immediately isolated themselves. it took just days to confirm th

he's the head of the charity group that nancy writebol works with. i was at the press conference. of reporters and said nancy has arrived safely. he choked up. i just imagine hearing the words come out of his own mouth made it more real. in terms of the condition of the two americans who are here we're hearing that dr. brantly is continuing to improve. we hear from nancy's husband david she's still weak but making a little bit of improvement. more good news she's had yogurt. this program called zmapp, we've heard about it a little bit. it's been given to mice. it prevents the cells from entering the body. one of the things is figuring out whether they got better because of the medication because your body develops antibodies. so it's going to be hard to tell whether it was experimental medication their own immunity kicking in or something else. charlie? >> thanks. >>> people cleared out store shelves as they stocked up on stoim sich plies. water and canned goods before high demand. it is followed by newly formed hurricane julio which has winds of 75 miles an hour. tropical hurrican

kent brantly and nancy writebol. you can see the reporters waiting for the news conference to begin. they were flown to let the hospital earlier this month after being treated with an experimental serum. >> very good news indeed. this still too early to know if the experimental serum played a role in the apparent recoveries or if it was simply the tremendous support of care they were receiving here at emory university hospital where they were undergoing treatment at a special isolation unit. we expect to hear more from the treatment at the news conference about to get underway at any minute. we will hear from the first of the two american ebola patients to arrive here. they had been treating patients at an ebola clinic in liberia around the time he was infected. they say "today i join all of our team around the world in giving thanks to god as we celebrate dr. kent brantly's recovery from ebola and discharge from the hospital." he was with nancy writebol who had been working in that same ebola clinic. now a spokesman

kent brantly and nancy writebol are being treated. elizabeth spoke with nancy's husband. how is nancy doing. >> david writebol says his wife is doing better but not out of the woods yet. when nancy writebol contracted ebola in africa, her husband david, the man she spent the last 40 years with couldn't even touch her. today he told that story for the first time. it must be so hard to not be able to hug or touch or hold your wife. do you remember the last time you got to hug her or hold her? >> yeah, i was able to be in personal protection equipment and i patted her just to let her know that i was there, that i loved her. >> reporter: now nancy writebol got ebola is a mystery. part of her work included cleaning hospital equipment. >> she was detailed and meticulous and trained others to do the decontamination work. the doctors and staff are well-trained. they were following protocols carefully and we've kind of walked through where there might have been a difficulty in it. at this stage i think it's too early to tell for certain what exactly happened. >> reporter: nancy is

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nancy writebol had been quietly released on monday. cream tomorrows are overwhelmed by the sheer number of victims. and-k crematoriums are overwhelmed. government imposed a quarantine on the whole neighborhood. joining us is dr. sema the yasmin. writes for dallas morning news and formerly worked at the cdc as a disease detective. doctor, the two americans have been released from the hospital. it's incredible, two weeks ago they were so sick they were taking experimental drugs, now they're walking out of the hospital. is it a helpful sign that really good care can significantly lower the ebola mortality rate? >> absolutely. but it's a painful reminder that the lack of what we consider very basic medical care, so you mentioned the experimental treatment that the two americans have received, but what they've had in emory university for the past two weeks, iv fluids, routine care here, but having spoken to the doctors in weark, west africa, some of them don't even have running water. >> some doctors are scared to work. you mentioned the ex

. >> yes, nancy writebol's journey from west africa will end in a few hours when she arrives in atlanta. >> she'll be the second patient treated at emory university hospital for the deadly virus that's killed nearly 900 people. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: this morning, doctors are fighting to save the lives of two americans infected with ebola. nancy writebol is said to be improving after receiving a dose of an experimental drug, the 59-year-old missionary from charlotte was in liberia helping to decontaminate doctors and got sick. >> she was eating a little bit. able to take in fluid. so we're cautiously optimistic. >> reporter: according to the president of writebol's missionary group she was able to ask for certain things. >> she asked for potato soup and coffee. >> reporter: dr. kent brantly who arrived in the u.s. on saturday in a full biosuit is also taking the experimental drug and we've learned his fever is lower. it's not clear if the experimental treatment is the reason the americans are improving. ebola has already killed almost 900 people in three afric

brantly and nancy writeboll, both their families and dr.imself have really tried to bring attention to the pligtd of the people in west africa. they say their thoughts and prayers are with them as these ebola outbreak seems to be getting worse. >> air strikes, indictment and courtroom drama. israeli air strikes killed three hamas leaders in the gaza strip today. hamas admits they did kidnap three teens that provoked a violence that led to the war in gaza. richmond republican bob mcdonald is back on the stand in his public corruption trial. the republican governor is about to testify about his frayed marriage and how his wife accepted $165,000 in gifts and loans. he talked about it on his way to court moments ago. >> when i got into public service i never thought i would ever have to testify in front of the white house. >> virginia's former first lady marine mcdonald is not expected to testify. >>> and another republican governor, this one from the lone star state will focus his attention on the southern border today, this a day after he ple

two american ebola victims are now being treated in atlanta and nancy writebol jointed brantley at emoryity and both infected treating victims in liberia and china they are digging people out of the rubble after a powerful earthquake struck thereand using their bare hands to save as many lives as possible after a 6.5 magnitude quake happened on sunday and dugout people including a four-month-old baby and one man is dead and many wounded and the wall of mud is leaving behind destruction and the cleanup there is just beginning. >>. >>> resident doug rose knows he is going to need more than just a shovel to dig out from the mud and debris that buried his front yard and part of his house but he gets to work anyway. rose was home alone sunday afternoon when a rare summer storm passed over the mountains near san bernidino and 4" of rain fell in an hour and triggered a massive mudslide that took out power lines and roads and they ran for higher ground. when you came out of the house after it started raining, what did you see? >> 25 foot wall of debris, rocks the size of refrigerators, about 75

nancy writebol is said to be improving after receiving a dose of an experimental drug. the 59-year-old missionary from charlotte was in liberia helping to decontaminate doctors and got sick. >> she was eating a little bit, able to take in fluid, so, you know, we're cautiously optimistic. >> reporter: according to the president of writebol's missionary group, nancy's condition has improved enough to make special requests. >> she asked for her favorite liberian meal of potato soup and coffee. >> reporter: 33-year-old dr. kent brantly, who arrived in the u.s. on saturday in a full biosuit, is also taking the experimental drug, and we've learned his fever is lower. it's not clear if the experimental treatment is the reason the americans are improving. ebola has already killed almost 900 people in three african countries. only 44% of patients survive. the scare has u.s. health officials on alert. at new york's mt. sinai hospital a male patient who had recently traveled to west africa was treated for fever and gastrointestinal problems. the man was placed in isolation, but in

nancy writebol got two doses.st dose didn't have such a profound effect, but the second dose seemed to have an effect. it's much easier to give this medication in hospitals than in remote locations in africa where a lot of these people are being treated. that is the goal. some of those conversations are under way. the defense threat reduction agency actually increased funding to this particular biopharmaceutical firm because of promising results and whether it had to do with dr. brantley or not, we don't know, but there are discussions to see if this could be made more widely available. we've had no treatments, vak sins seens, no medicines for ebola. >> a medical marvel really. i also want to talk about the fact, in some regions in west africa there's no trust in medical experts and people coming into the village. there's very little trusts that they have in medical officials. that's another look at the story. >> 36 minutes past the hour. ahead for us, another murder suspect found dead after being featured on cnn'

nancy writebol will join colleague dr. ken brantley at the university hospital.he said her husband's condition is improving. >>> now a retired american doctor is now in quarentine in the u.s. just a week ago. he does not have any symptoms of the virus so far and he will stay in isolation which is the incubation period of the disease. >> the concern is, if which to contract the infection, while i was there i would not have the facilities available for a better level of treatment. >> now his daughter picked him up at the airport upon his return to the united states but he has not had any contact with anybody else since his eyes layings started. we will find out because of a toxics bloom in lake erie. they have been passing out bottles of water. they are making stations where people can fill up with pure paid to water. last night algae levels dropped to levels that are considered safe however the mayor is not ready to live those and i will not take any chances with this town while that is going on. >> more water testing is expected later this morning. >>> and right

nancy writebol joins kent brantly. both are receiving treatment with an experimental job. robert ray is there for us. what can you tell us about this treatment? >> good afternoon. there is - there has been a lot going on today. the battle in west africa continues to stop the spread of the ebola outbreak. there's another war behind me at the hospital. watch this. >> american aide worker nancy writebol landed in atlanta in an airborne emergency room, equipped with an isolation unit. her concerned family offered a public message of support. >> i love you. and then i'm going to encourage her just to - just that we know that god is good and we trust him. >> the other patient, her colleague, kent brantly, made the same trip from liberia over the weekend. they are the two patients with ebola to be treated on american soil. both are said to be improving after receiving an experimental drug. >> what it is is a cocktail of anti-bodies which are proteens which the body makes to block the virus. >> the ser 'em known as zmapp was harvested from animals. dr brantly received a second dos

. >> reporter: 40,000 feet in the air, nancy writebol is in a desperate fight for her life.issionary is on a private jet bound for america. placed in extreme medical quarantine. weeks earlier, she was in perfect health. in atlanta, doctors will attempt to save here from one of the fiercest diseases on earth, ebola. she's one of two victims affected overseas. victims of the worst outbreak the world has ever seen, while doctors here hope cutting-edge medicine can save these victims' lives. the spread of the disease is out of control. almost a thousand dead in the region. ground zero, liberia, where the death toll is reaching nearly 300 and rising. >> reporter: the bodies of people killed by the disease are everywhere. some buried in shallow graves. the worst cases left to rot. a government health worker is fighting an uphill and increasingly dangerous battle. >> reporter: in liberia, it's not safe to work in health care. workers like mark have become a target. blamed for spreading the disease and not treating it aggressively enough. and then there's the constant risk of contra

kent brantly and nancy writebol will be flown one at a time with an airtight isolation time like this. both fighting for their lives. >> he is a very sick man, so is nancy. >> emory university hospital has an isolation unit with highly trained staff. it is unclear where the other sick american will be taken. than 700frica, more people have already died from the virus. extra efforts are underway to stop the spread of ebola. the cdc warning against nonessential travel to guinea, sierra leone, and liberia. travelers are being screened for illness. the cdc is sending 50 experts to help with the outbreak. >> we know how to stop ebola. you have to find the cases, respond to them, and prevent them. >> treating people with the disease is how these two americans contracted ebola. there was an experiment of treatment sent to them, but dr. kent brantly insisted that the only does was given to nancy writebol. his wife remains hopeful. the director of the cdc is on ebola willonfident not spread in the u.s., adding that americans should stay safe. marci gonzalez, abc news. >> parts of texas got ham

they got three vials of that and told that nancy writebol would get all three doses. you take them as a regimen after once and then another a little bit later and then later. but what happened was it turned out that dr. brantly got really sick last thursday and started to take a turn so drastically bad telling people that he was dying and gave him the second dose of the medicine. sorry. his first dose of the medicine last week and then a second dose here at emery and seems to be helping. he's doing much better after two doses of it. she's had two doses, as well, now. we think it's helped improve her condition, as well. >> nbc's kate snow, thank you. so why is there no cure to eb a ebola? well, it's about the bottom line. this ebola outbreak spawned more than 1,300 cases, 887 deaths. but that's just a drop in the bucket compared to other epidemics. 20 million people get measles every year. 120,000 people die from it. 2 1/2 million a year are infected with hiv. 1.7 million of those die. and then there's the kind of people affected by ebolame. some of the poorest in the

nancy writebol and dr. kent brantly took the experimental drug and appear to be improving.we know it is working? >> what we know -- this drug contains proteins, antibodies. these things actually target the ebola virus and actually attack it directly. so far this drug has only been tested in animals. so we really don't know exactly how it is going to happen in terms of the treatment of humans. people are going to be watching this very closely. because this is something that just hasn't been done before. >> so, is it a shot? is it a blood infusion? how do they take it? >> this is actually an intravenous infusion that the patient takes. and normally in the animal studies it's been delivered 24 to 48 hours after exposurexposu. one thing that we know about dr. brantly and nancy writebol is they were given this drug days after they started to experience the actual symptoms. so, it's really -- hard to tell what's going to happen in this case and what the effect of the drug will be. >> ers are on high alert across america. should americans be concerned? half a dozen people have bee

kent brantly and nancy writebol as well. how it plays out, how more widely it may become available, we don't know. >> and that serum, it's only days for it, they're not sure if it is the aren't one u.s. patient has improved. what you're seeing now is something we put together based on what the world health organization have told us, a tally of the ongoing deaths. 887 so far, more than 1600 confirmed cases since the outbreak began in march. the world bank is pledging up to $200 million to guinea, liberia and sierra leone. the president of guinea told cnn just how badly all this funding is needed. >> it takes about $500 million to develop a vaccine. and laboratories aren't going to develop a vaccine unless it can be sold widely, unlike the influenza violence for example, or vaccine, that has a large market. the ebola vaccine market would be very limited despite the fact that we had many indications of deaths. the government needs to be more involved to make sure there is funding for developing a vaccine. >> again, researchers

when it arrived brantly told his colleague, nancy writebol, who was also sick, that she should have the first dose. but as brantly's health deteriorated and he became more desperate, he asked for writebol's now thawed medication. it was a risk. the treatment had been tried in monkeys and had seemed to work. but never before had it been tried in a human. not even to test safety. dr. kent brantly would be the first. while doctors don't often use this term, they describe what happened next as miraculous. within an hour of receiving the medication, dr. brantly's condition seemed to make a dramatic turnaround. his breathing improved. the rash over his trunk nearly fade add way. >> i do hope that it was as impressive as being described because if it is that bodes very well for that particular product. >> reporter: by the next morning brantly was able to shower on his own before making the 6,000-mile transport to atlanta. saturday afternoon, another first. watch as brantly walks off the back of the ambulance. he became the first patient infected with the ebola virus to ever set foot in the uni