Ebola Virus Outbreak 2014 News & Update: Spanish Nurse Contracts Virus, U.S. Cameraman Treated in Omaha

As the Ebola epidemic continues to spread across West Africa, new cases of the Virus spreading internationally are continuing to arise. In both Spain and the U.S., new victims have contracted the disease and are now being treated. In Spain, a woman has become the first known person to contract the disease outside of Africa. 

Spain

Spain's health minister, Ana Mato, confirmed this week that a Spanish nurse's assistant, who was treating Spanish missionaries in Spain that were infected with Ebola, has contracted the virus. Both of the missionaries the woman was treating have since died. According to authorities, the woman began displaying symptoms of Ebola on Sept. 30, yet she was not admitted until earlier this week. 

"We are working in coordination to give the best care to the patient and to guarantee the safety of all citizens," said Mato. Officials are scrambling to track down people who may have come in contact with the woman during the period in which she would have been contagious. The nurse's assistant was one of many aid workers who have been treating Ebola victims that have been sent to Spain. 

The United States

In the United States, President Barack Obama attempted to calm anxiety over the virus spreading throughout the country as it has in Africa. Mr. Obama wants to see plans set in motion to preemptively prevent the virus from spreading more than it already has. 

"As I've said from the start of this outbreak, I consider this a top national security priority. This is not just a matter of charity ... This is an issue about our safety," the president stated.

The president is also calling for more stringent screening of passengers at U.S. airports. The first confirmed case of Ebola in the U.S. is a man who lied during airport screening questions before he boarded a plane for Texas.

"We're also going to be working on protocols to do additional passenger screening, both at the source and here in the United States. Here in the United States, at least, the chances of an outbreak -- of an epidemic here -- are extraordinarily low," Obama said.

A cameraman covering the outbreak in Africa has been flown to Nebraska to receive treatment for the virus, which he contracted while in West Africa. Ashoka Mukpo, walked off the plane under his own power when he arrived in the U.S. His father claims he warned his son before he left for Africa that it was too dangerous and that he shouldn't go.