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Spain to Evacuate Priest infected with Ebola

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Aug 06, 2014 10:39 AM EDT

Spain's health officials announced this Wednesday that they will be evacuating a priest infected with the Ebola virus. The Spanish priest, 75-year-old Miguel Pajares was working in Liberia where he contracted the deadly virus. He will be treated at one of the many hospitals in Madrid.

"I have a fever. I don't have any appetite, I could go without eating anything. I have a lot of pain in my joints. I need help to move from one place to the other," Pajares stated to CNN en Espanol, reported by Yahoo News. "We hope that we can be evacuated. For us it would be a huge joy because if we are taken to Spain we would be in good hands and we could get better, God willing."

Spain will send a medically equipped Airbus 310 jet. The officials stated that Pajares will be securely transported and all measures will be taken to prevent the virus from infecting others. The jet will also be carrying medical equipment to treat others if requires.

"The [safety] protocols we will use guarantee minimum risk," Mercedes Vinuesa, the public health general director, stated according to the San Francisco Gate.

Pajares was one of three aid workers that tested positive for the virus at the San Jose de Monrovia Hospital in Liberia. He was treating infected patients at the time. The other two workers were Chantal Pascaline Mutwamene from Congo and Paciencia Melgar from Equatorial Guinea. The officials reported that three other aid workers stationed at the hospital had tested negative for the virus. All of the missionaries work with the San Juan de Dios Hospital order, which is a Catholic humanitarian group.

Pajares will be the first patient with Ebola to be treated in Spain. The defense ministry announced that the plane would be ready to take off starting at 5:00 AM (0300 GMT) this Wednesday. However, the officials have not told reporters when the plane will leave the ground.

The Ebola outbreak, which is the largest one in history, has infected more than 1,600 people, killing 887 so far. Initial symptoms include onset fever and joint pain followed by vomiting, diarrhea and internal or external bleeding.

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