American Aid Worker Transferred to U.S. After Testing Positive for Ebola in Sierra Leone

U.S. health officials confirmed Friday that an American aid worker treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone had tested positive for the virus and was being treated at a hospital in Maryland.

The patient was reportedly flown to the U.S. after testing positive for the virus while working in Sierra Leone. They are being treated at the National Institute of Health in Baltimore, one of the dozens of hospitals in the U.S. with advanced biocontainment units designed for containing Ebola.

NIH said in a brief statement that the patient is listed as being in "serious" condition as they are treated for the disease. Another U.S. aid worker who likely had contact with the Ebola patient has also been flown to the United States for treatment.

The patient, whose identity or gender has not been released, is the 11th person being treated for Ebola in the U.S.

While the NIH did not release any more details on the Ebola patient, the aid group Partners In Health confirmed in a statement that the infected patient had been working for them in Sierra Leone and "remains in good spirits" during their treatment.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the second aid worker had suffered "potential exposure" to the Ebola patient and would be transferred to Atlanta, Georgia so they may be monitored and possibly admitted to Emory University Hospital, another facility specializing in the containment of the Ebola virus.