A US citizen infected with the Ebola virus has been taken to Berlin's Charité hospital for treatment, Germany's Health Ministry said on Wednesday.
The patient was admitted to a special isolation unit at the university hospital after contracting the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Ebola is spreading rapidly.
Health Minister Nina Warken told dpa that helping partners was a matter of course for the German government. Germany had an effective care network, including for patients with highly infectious diseases, she said.
"They will receive the best possible care - and we will maintain the highest safety precautions," Warken said. That was why the United States had turned to Germany for help, she added.
Warken thanked everyone involved in the transport and in the patient's medical and nursing care at Charité. "I wish the patient all the very best for his health," she said.
US authorities had also asked Germany for help because of the shorter flight time, the Health Ministry said. The patient was transported to Berlin from Uganda on a special aircraft for highly infectious patients, according to the ministry.
He was then taken to Charité in a specially equipped vehicle, escorted by numerous police motorcycles and cars, as well as fire brigade vehicles and ambulances. The special vehicle reached the hospital shortly before 3 am (0100 GMT).
The special isolation unit at Charité has specialized infrastructure for treating patients with highly contagious, life-threatening infectious diseases.
It is a closed and protected unit separate from regular hospital operations, ensuring there can be no contact with other patients.
Ebola is a contagious and life-threatening infectious disease. The virus is transmitted through physical contact and contact with bodily fluids.
