Dr. Kent Brantly, a doctor who contracted Ebola in Liberia during a Christian mission before being flown back to the U.S. this past week for treatment, appears to be "improving," according to Dr. Thomas Frieden, who appeared on CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday.
"It's encouraging that he seems to be improving," Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said of the 33-year-old American doctor's health. "That is really important, and we are hoping he will continue to improve."
According to CNN, Brantly received an experimental dose of serum before leaving Liberia. Upon entering the U.S. for treatment, he became the first person infected with the deadly virus to be cared for in the States. Brantly—soon to be joined by fellow missionary Nancy Writebol, who is expected to arrive in the U.S. on Tuesday—is being treated in a special isolation unit at Emory Hospital in Atlanta. Both Brantly and Writebol contracted the virus while trying to help stop the spread of Ebola in West Africa.
Brantly's wife, Amber, told CNN that she was "confident that he is receiving the very best care." She told the news station on Sunday that she "was able to see Kent today. He is in good spirits. He thanked everyone for their prayers and asked for continued prayer for Nancy Writebol's safe return and full recovery."
Frieden noted on Face the Nation that although Amber and the couple's daughter saw Brantly in Liberia, " … they did not have contact with him when he was sick, so it does not appear that they would be at risk."
Read more at CBSNews.com and CNN.