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Cruise Ship Heads to Texas over Ebola Fears; Are U.S. Hospitals Prepared for Ebola?; Powerful Hurricanes Pose Threat; GOP Criticizes Choice for Ebola Czar; NYT: Wilson's Version Of Shooting; CENTCOM: Not Aware Of ISIS Training On Warplanes; Ebola Survivor Tells Story; Race Is On To Find Ebola Vaccine

Aired October 18, 2014 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN ANCHOR: Hey guys. Thanks so much -- great show. We'll have more for everyone. It is the 11:00 hour of the NEWSROOM and it begins right now.

Well, ebola fears are spreading. Now passengers on a cruise ship find themselves in the middle of a vacation nightmare. This as their new concerns about President Obama's pick for ebola czar.

Plus new forensic details in the shooting death that rocked Ferguson, Missouri. What was reportedly found in the police car of Officer Darren Wilson?

And two hurricanes are posing a threat in the Atlantic and Pacific. What is in their paths and who is in danger?

Good morning everyone. Thanks so much for being here with us. I'm Deborah Feyerick, in for Fredricka Whitfield.

And we begin with one country taking no chances with ebola. The government of Belize closing its border to anyone who has been anywhere near the deadly virus. The decision comes as the U.S. State Department wanted to evacuate a Dallas hospital worker from a cruise ship, then fly her back to the United States from Belize's city's airport.

Well, the government said no and issued visa and travel bans. The hospital lab worker on the cruise may have had indirect contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who died of ebola, handling one of his lab specimens. She is in voluntary isolation in a cabin.

Meanwhile there's some controversy over the new point man in charge the U.S. response to ebola. He's Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore. Klain has zero medical experience. And that is not sitting well with some Republicans.

We're covering all angles of the story including new details on the Dallas nurses who got ebola after treating Thomas Eric Duncan.

CNN's Alexandra Field is with me in New York; CNN's Athena Jones is in Bethesda, Maryland; and CNN's Erin McPike in Washington.

Alexandra, we're going to go to you first. The cruise ship carrying that lab supervisor from Dallas hospital -- the cruise is going to arrive in Galveston, Texas soon. Tell us more about what is going to happen and how they actually identified her as having been in touch with Eric Duncan.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, this ship will actually arrive in Galveston tomorrow. And tomorrow is also -- that will mark 21 days since this Texas health worker may have had contact with the last specimen from the ebola patient who was treated at that hospital. We know that 21 days marks the end of this all-important ebola incubation period.

To this point, they have been closely watching this woman who's on board the Carnival Cruise ship. We understand that she has shown no symptoms of the virus right now. She has been checked out by a Carnival Cruise Line doctor. But she has taken the step to self- quarantine in her cabin with her travel companion. Carnival Cruise says they are working closely with the CDC. They're going to do everything they can just to ensure that they are keeping the safety of all passengers in mind here.

FEYERICK: And it's going to be very difficult for all the passengers who are on that ship. First of all when you are on a ship you can't really get off and nobody was even allowed off at any of those ports. In terms of her and the other passengers on the ship, how were they notified? And what were they told to make sure that there wasn't panic there on the Carnival Line?

FIELD: Yes. Well, panic is sort of the issue that we have to talk about here Deborah for everyone. People are really just concerned about, you know, how contagious this virus is. How much it could spread. How easily?

So what we know is that the passengers on board the ship were told they are getting a $200 credit for services during the cruise. They were also told that they would have a discount because they had to miss a stop in Cozumel. So I think some efforts are being taken to accommodate passengers. Naturally there's going to be some fear but again, the CDC is saying that this woman is very low risk. It's been 20 days since she may have had contact with the specimen and is still not showing any symptoms.

However keeping her on the ship was Plan B. Because we know that Secretary of State John Kerry had reached out to the Prime Minister in Belize. He wanted the passenger to disembark with her travel companion and fly them on a private plane back to the United States. Belize's government denied that request and then went a step further as you pointed out banning all travel for passengers coming from ebola affected countries.

FEYERICK: You know, we have to keep in mind that look, people can be exposed to ebola but that doesn't necessarily mean they're going to be infected by ebola. You really have to have that direct sort of wet droplet contact and whether that's sneezing or sweat or vomit or feces or anything like that. So it is low risk but it really just goes to show how frightened everyone is.

Alexandra thank you so much -- appreciate that.

Well, from doctors at the National Institutes of Health, ebola patient Nina Pham is doing well, sitting up and eating. Pham is the first Texas nurse who became infected with ebola after treating Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who came to the U.S. and then died from the disease.

Athena Jones is live outside the National Institutes of Health in Maryland covering this story. And Athena -- we saw this video of her. She looked relatively upbeat. The NIH obviously specializes in infectious disease treatment. How is Nina Pham doing right now?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well good morning, Deb.

Doctors told us that we would get updates on any change in the condition of Miss Pham. And so we haven't gotten any news indicating a change. What we know about her condition is that she's in fair condition, she's stable, she's resting comfortable. Doctors say she is sitting up, she's eating and she is in good spirits able to interact with her hospital staff and her caregivers.

We know that her mother and here sister are in the area to be near her. And, of course, she's been cared of as you mentioned by a team of folks who are experts in handling the very sickest of patients. They are well trained. Doctors here stress the training, the retraining, and the drilling that these teams do in order to help care for patients like Nina Pham.

She's being cared for by two shifts of nurses -- two 12-hour shifts, four or five nurses on each shift. And any time anyone goes in to her -- her room where she's being isolated, they have to go in, in pairs. Part of the buddy system which they're doing out of an abundance of caution to make sure that there's no breach in protocol, that these nurses are well protected from this virus because they don't want any more nursing to be infected -- Deb.

FEYERICK: You know, when she was at Texas Presbyterian Hospital her condition there was good. We don't know at what stage the illness, the disease was. After the trip her condition was listed as fair. Was it the transport that took its toll or was it simply that now her body is really aggressively fighting the virus that is attacking it?

JONES: Well, it's interesting you bring that up because doctors were asked specifically that question, why the change from good to fair? And doctors here did not indicate that -- did not suggest that this was any sort of deterioration. They said this is a virus that wreaks havoc on your body. It is a virus that leaves you feeling very, very fatigued.

So their indication was the trip from Dallas to here in Maryland was just very, very tiring for her. They did not say that that switch from good to fair indicated any sort of deterioration necessarily. And so like I said we should be getting updates if there is another big change in her condition. So you might say that at this point, no news is good news. As I said they say that she is sitting up, she is eating, she is in good spirits -- so they are not indicating that it is anything more than the fatigue that comes from fighting off a virus like this and making that long journey -- Deb.

FEYERICK: It is really just even fascinating to watch the video of her because when you think of an ebola patient and you see those victims in Africa, it's so much different to see her almost smiling and joking. So all right. Athena Jones -- thank you so much. We appreciate that report. And we'll follow later with an update as well.

Well a nurse at the Dallas Hospital where the first ebola patient died says that the staff was not ready to treat an ebola patient. Listen to what she told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: Was your neck exposed?

BRIANA AGUIRRE, TEXAS HEALTH PRESBYTERIAN NURSE: Absolutely.

COOPER: What part of your neck?

AGUIRRE: Well, the zipper ended about here on me. And the hood ended about here on me. And, you know, this part right here made a triangle that was open. It was completely open. And the very first time that they were instructing me how to put this on is exactly the point when I said why would my neck be exposed? I just old them, why would an area so close to my mouth and my nose, why would that be exposed?

COOPER: What did they say?

AGUIRRE: And they didn't have an answer.

COOPER: Was there any follow up when you raised objections to what is clearly a ridiculous situation? A dangerous situation.

AGUIRRE: I immediately felt like it was ridiculous and immediately posed had same question that you are posing to me, you know, you're asking right now. I said why? Why -- what explanation can you give me or anyone about why we would be in the second week of an ebola crisis in our hospital and we don't even have the same equipment or protection that's given to sanitation workers that have no contact with patients at all? And they said we know. We've ordered it.

COOPER: I can't believe their response was well we've ordered it. I mean that's inexcusable.

AGUIRRE: Two weeks. I could have -- not to be taken lightly but I for sure could have ordered that on Amazon Prime and had it in two days.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FEYERICK: Well, Texas health Presbyterian officials responded to us and quote, "We've conducted interviews with well over 100 care givers involved in Mr. Duncan's care multiple times. The consistent and universal theme we have heard is that all care givers reported being consistently compliant with utilizing the appropriate PPE, that's personal protective equipment, in accordance with guidelines from the CDC. The CDC guidelines change frequently and those changes were frustrating to them and to management."

So the real question, are American hospitals ready as Dr. Thomas Frieden says they are.

Well, let's talk to an expert. Karen Davis is professor of health policy and management at Johns Hopkins. She's also a registered nurse. The CDC will be releasing updated personal protective equipment guidelines as they say very soon. That's according to a federal official. But when you look at what is going on, like isn't it up to the nurses to say this isn't good enough? I mean we need more. That is what they did at a New York hospital. They said we don't want these little gowns. We want the whole full, you know, shebang. So where does the responsibility lie?

KAREN DAVIS, JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL: We focus on training our nurses. And it is the hospital's responsibility. So whether we've done is really followed the guidelines given to us by the CDC and Emory recommendations and we've been training a designated group of nurses for over three months now to make sure that we're prepared and we continue to train them so that they can practice the isolation techniques over and over so we are in a state of readiness.

FEYERICK: Do you believe that all hospitals are prepared to handle ebola cases? Or should it be limited to a specific few?

DAVIS: I can only speak for what we're doing at Hopkins. And that is preparing to be able to be a place where we can adequately treat these patients, as well as keep our employees safe.

FEYERICK: What has been the concern employees have told you about whether in fact they are ready to treat this?

DAVIS: Well we've been listening to nurses and -- sorry this came out.

FEYERICK: Ok, she is going to put that in her ear. Go ahead Karen. What should happen?

DAVIS: Making absolutely sure that they feel protected, that we have the adequate equipment for them. And that we understand where the concerns are. I think training a small group of people and focusing on a designated area has helped us because we know exactly who's been trained and who's competent. They have demonstrated that competency. And we know that they are prepared so at any given time if we need to take care of an ebola patient we can do that.

FEYERICK: Have there been nurses who have basically said look, it's not that we can't handle it -- have there been nurses -- ok we are having a little bit of trouble with that ear piece, that IFB. So we're going move on. Professor Karen Davis thank you for those insights. We appreciate that.

And President Obama is taking action on the situation and as you may have heard he appointed a new ebola czar. So who is this person? And the greater question, is he qualified for the job? That's coming up.

But next: two storms, two oceans, the potential to cause some major damage. We have the latest on where those hurricanes are heading right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well as we speak two hurricanes are roaring in the Atlantic. Hurricane Gonzalo has blacked out most of Bermuda. Eight in ten don't have power right now. It made a direct hit on the island, downing trees and causing a lot of flooding. In the Pacific, big waves here in Hawaii -- cowabunga -- from Hurricane Ana. The center is not expected to make landfall on any of the islands but a state of emergency is in place just in case. Heavy rain could cause floods and perhaps even mud slides.

A new advisory was released just moments ago. We go to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers for the latest. Chad -- ok I'd rather be in Hawaii but what's going on?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know what -- I'd rather in Hawaii too because Bermuda really got smacked overnight -- Deb. There's a lot of wind damage there. 80 percent of the people without power, a lot of wave action; I had a couple of shots earlier -- live shots showing sunken boats all over the place. So yes, it really did get hit. The eye went right over Bermuda. There is the island, there is the eye. It is still going. The latest now though, down to 90 miles per hour.

That's some relief to people of Newfoundland. Believe it or not, it's going there next, at least a glancing blow on eastern Newfoundland.

Here is what wind did, though, overnight. As the storm went right over the island for Bermuda, 96 miles per hour with the one eye -- then down here -- eye wall and then all the way down to 29 with almost no wind at all and then 113 the gusts on the other side -- the other side of the eyewall hit the island. So they got both sides. One from one direction and one from the other. There goes Gonzalo right now and it could just nick the eastern tip there of Newfoundland.

Back out now to the Pacific this Ana storm was forecast three days ago to make a direct impact on the big island. It did not do that. It stayed in the south and it will continue to stay with the south. So not a wind event for the Hawaiian Islands but a wave event, and also a flash flooding event as it travels to the south of the islands and eventually out into the ocean. No threat here.

Six to 10 inches though of rain fall could cause mud slides. And the waves -- the waves are on the wrong side of the island. Typically if you're going to the north shore, especially along Maui or whatever, you're going to get the waves from one direction -- from the north. This storm is south of the island. So the waves are from an opposite direction. So if you are in, let's say, Honolulu you are not expecting big waves like that. Nice little three or four footers usually coming in to Honolulu. They are going to much bigger today. So please be careful. If you don't know what you're doing, don't try to surf in this big stuff.

FEYERICK: Exactly. But you always have to love the surfers. They're the ones that always ready with their boards to go out as soon as the bad weather hits.

Chad Myers, thanks so much.

MYERS: You're welcome -- Deb.

FEYERICK: And turning back now to ebola. It is front and center at the White House. President Obama has decided who he wants to manage the problem. It is not a doctor. The latest on the ebola czar next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Well Ron Klain hasn't held a post for even 24 hours but already there's a lot of pushback from Republicans on President Obama's choice to head the battle against ebola in the United States.

Erin McPike is at the White House. And Erin, what are you hearing? What is the biggest complaint about the appointment of Ron Klain?

ERIN MCPIKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Deb, Republicans are essentially saying that this is a political pick because Ron Klain has no medical background, no background in public health.

Now, you may remember Klain from early 2009. The administration tapped him then to oversee the distribution of stimulus funding which of course wasn't popular with Republicans. But now the White House is saying that Klain is an implementation expert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: After weeks of mistakes dealing with ebola.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: Frankly I'd like to know who's in charge.

MCPIKE: President Obama caved to critics, anointing an ebola czar, long time Joe Biden aide Ron Klain to coordinate the administration's response.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've got an all-hands on deck approach across government to make sure that we are keeping the American people safe.

MCPIKE: But Klain is best known for managing political messaging and has no experience in public health. Complaints came fast and furious from Republicans, including house foreign affairs chairman Ed Royce who said, quote, "I have to ask why the President didn't pick an individual with a noteworthy infectious disease or public health background".

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: That's not solely a medical response. What we were looking for is not an ebola expert but rather an implementation expert and that is exactly what Ron Klain is. He is somebody that has extensive experience in the federal government. He's somebody that has extensive management experience when it comes to the private sector.

MCPIKE: The White House is also fending off growing calls from both sides of the aisle to ban travel from affected countries in West Africa.

GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Air travel is in fact how this disease crosses borders. And it's certainly how it got to Texas in the first place. Based on recent and ongoing developments, I believe it is the right policy to ban air travel from countries that have been hit hardest by the ebola outbreak.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCPIKE: And now we are hearing from the administration that they are trying to shift the blame to other countries for having even weaker responses. These are European countries, as well as the World Health Organization. Secretary of State John Kerry said that if all these countries don't do more this could be a much bigger global disaster almost like AIDS -- Deb.

FEYERICK: So if you think about what the White House is trying to do by appointing somebody who can oversee what's going on or all the agencies, sort of a cross -- all the different sort of, you know, the little fights. There is a report in the "New York Times" though that the President is visibly angry, that in fact perhaps the ebola response wasn't as aggressive, wasn't as complete as we -- or as the country was initially promised. What are you hearing?

MCPIKE: Well, that's right. And you also may remember back to 2010, after the BP oil spill off the coast of Louisiana that some of these reports surfaced at the time that President Obama was very angry at the government's response. Now we have asked the White House about how President Obama has reacted a If these reports that he was angry are true. And as soon as we hear more we will tell you.

By I would point out that he's canceled his schedule at the end of this week and has been more visibly engaged. There was a big meeting at the White House last night with a number of officials and President Obama was at that meeting -- Deb.

FEYERICK: You know, it's fascinating. You think of ebola, you think of ISIS, you think of what's going on in the Ukraine it's been a very busy couple months for the White House.

Erin McPike there for us. Thanks so much -- we appreciate it.

Well, the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown at the hands of a police officer shook the entire community of Ferguson, Missouri. Today we're getting new details about blood found in the officer's car. What it could mean. Coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Bottom of the hour now. Welcome back everyone. I'm Deborah Feyerick. Here is a look at the top stories making news right now.

The U.S. Supreme Court said today that Texas can go ahead with its controversial voter ID law just two days before early voting starts in that state. Critics say the law which requires photo id at the polls disenfranchises minority voters. Supporters say it is going to prevent voter fraud.

The man who shot an unarmed African-American teenager over loud music will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance for parole. A judge sentenced Michael Dunn on Friday for the murder of 17-year-old Jordan Davis.

Dunn fired ten times at Davis' car after an argument over the teenager's loud music. Before sentencing Dunn told Davis' family that he was sorry for what happened, but he said he feared for his life.

New developments in the case of Michael Brown, the Ferguson, Missouri, 18-year-old shot dead by a police officer in August prompting weeks of unrest. The "New York Times" reports test shows Brown's flood was found on the gun, the uniform and inside the car of Police Officer Darren Wilson.

The "Times" also gives Wilson's side of the story. It says that the officer told investigators that he was trying to get out of his car when brown shoved him back inside, hit him and then tried to grab for his gun. Wilson's reported account contradicts some witnesses who say it was Wilson, the officer who was the aggressor.

Nick Valencia has been reporting on Ferguson over the past two months. He joins us now live. Nick, what other details are we hearing? This could be a game changer.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPODNENT: It could be a game changer, Deb, but we should start up by saying that this "New York Times" report CNN has not been able to independently confirm the details, but it appears to fall in line with the version of Officer Darren Wilson.

That he is maintained all along that there was a struggle inside that police car. "New York Times" citing forensic evidence is saying that that gun went off at least twice in the car, one bullet hitting Mike Brown in the arm, the other one missing it.

Now the source on this information is unnamed government sources familiar with this investigation. I talked to people in Ferguson and the reaction, Deb, as you could imagine is varied.

Darren Wilson's supporters, of course, have maintained all along that this is a justified shooting and that he did nothing wrong, that he was fearing for his life. Meanwhile I've spoken to many Mike Brown supporters including the pastor of the Brown family who said that he's just not buying this "New York Times" report saying that it is another excuse to let Officer Wilson off the hook and that the country should worry for St. Louis right now.

I was there as you mentioned two months ago in August as were a myriad of other CNN correspondents and we were caught in the middle of riots. You know, the pastor for Mike Brown's family says those riots, that were just a test. With this evidence now he says he's worried that it could be very bad for St. Louis -- Deb.

FEYERICK: And obviously police officers have a wide use or have the latitude to use lethal force if they think it is necessary so all of this is going to be interesting for the grand jury to evaluate. Nick Valencia, thank you so much for us.

Well, we've seen members of Iraq's military abandon their posts in the fight against ISIS. But now there are claims that former Iraqi military officer pilots are actually working with the enemy in Syria.

An unverified report from a Syrian watchdog group says that the officers are training ISIS fighters to fly three captured war planes near Aleppo, Syria. The Pentagon is questioning the report saying the officials are not aware of any ISIS flight operations.

Let's turn now to CNN military analyst, Colonel Peter Mansoor. Colonel, CNN has not been able to confirm this independently that these fighters are training on war planes. Is this even realistic?

COL. PETER MANSOOR, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, it could be. The Islamic State captured an air base, captured the fighter jets. They have an alliance with former Bathist Iraqi Army and Air Force officers so they could be being trained on how to fly these jets.

I would be very surprised if they want to use them as an Air Force to drop bombs. That is possible, I guess, but I don't think they would be airborne very long before they get shot down.

I think more dangerous is if they are training them how to fly them on a one-way trip to attack some key target and basically as with 9/11 just crashed the planes into some important target in the region.

FEYERICK: It's funny because that is exactly what I thought of when I heard that they were trying to learn to fly, which is, you know, the 9/11 hijackers who wanted to fly. They didn't really care about landing.

But when you look at what is going on over there, administrators are now saying that air strikes have been effective. U.S. and coalition airstrikes have been effective in really slowing the advance of ISIS.

Now instead of traveling in large groups they are traveling in smaller groups. Do you see the strategy as working now or has ISIS simply just revamped? MANSOOR: Well, ISIS is certainly reacting to the attacks against them. Defending themselves by dispersing, getting in among the civilian population, making themselves harder targets to hit.

But when you are in a combat operation like they are near the town of Kobani in Northern Syria, there is no civilians to hide among because the civilians have all fled the battlefield and that is why they are being absolutely hammered by coalition airstrikes in that town right now.

But, you know, you can say that the airstrikes are degrading ISIS. But it is at a glacial pace right now. The number of airstrikes launched is very, very minimal compared to a full blown air campaign such as the one we saw that led into the Gulf War, for instance, or in Kosovo. So they are being degraded, but it is a slow process.

FEYERICK: When you think about the value of Kobani, do you think that ultimately ISIS will simply pull back? Because there are other areas that strategically are more important, correct?

MANSOOR: That is correct. But now they are in a battle for prestige. They sort of staked their name on taking this town. Not unlike Hitler staking his reputation on taking Stalin grad in 1942.

The town can didn't mean a lot, but you get in this fight for reputation and then you get sucked in. So I think that's what's happening right now with the Islamic state.

It would probably behoove them to withdraw, but then they would take a public hit for having been repulsed by the Kurds and the American airstrikes.

FEYERICK: Yes and it's interesting. We are hearing from our Nick Payton Walsh that it was a busier day. There seem to be a lot more blasts in that region. Colonel Peter Mansoor, thank you.

MANSOOR: Thank you.

FEYERICK: Well, it is something that healthcare workers have to face potentially, getting a disease from someone that they are treating. With Ebola, it is a nightmare scenario.

Next, we're going to talk live to one of the first Americans to contract Ebola, Nancy Writebol.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FEYERICK: Two Texas nurses, Nina Pham and Amber Vinson, are fighting the deadly Ebola virus right now. One woman knows all too well what they are going through. Nancy Writebol contracted Ebola while working with the aid group, "Samaritan's Purse" in Liberia.

She says she thought first she had malaria. She was shocked when she realized it was Ebola. Writebol and her husband, David, were treating Ebola patients in Liberia, but Nancy says she's not exactly sure how she contracted the disease. She was flown to Emory hospital in Atlanta. We saw those dramatic pictures of her all covered up. She later recovered. Nancy and her husband, David, join me on the phone from Fulton, Missouri.

We are so pleased that you could be with us here this morning. Nancy, first of all, how are you doing? How are you feeling?

NANCY WRITEBOL, CONTRACTED EBOLA WHILE IN LIBERIA (via telephone): I'm feeling great. Thank you and thanks for having us this morning.

FEYERICK: When you think about it, you must have gone over in your mind hundreds of times the point of infection. What did you do? Having taken every precaution, how did you become exposed? What are those thoughts?

NANCY WRITEBOL: Well, I think, you know, I continue to question that and it continues to go around in my mind about was it -- did I contract it possibly from another coworker? Did I contract it from maybe a family member of an Ebola patient? You know, there are many questions about how I did contract it and I don't know that we'll ever know the answer to that question.

FEYERICK: And David, both of you were there. You were treating people with this horrible disease, this horrible virus. How do you compare the response and the reaction over in Liberia to what's happening now in the United States?

DAVID WRITEBOL, NANCY WRITEBOL'S HUSBAND (via telephone): Well, surrounding Ebola there is a great deal of fear because it is a very deadly disease. And so we saw -- some of the things we saw and reactions we saw relating to the fear in that we saw in West Africa and we're seeing that here.

And so, yes, it is surprising in a way because our healthcare system is so much more well put together. But yet people are the same or seem to be the same, yes.

FEYERICK: And do you think -- look, in some levels, you know, you were there on the ground with hundreds of sick patients. And now we have obviously three -- two right now that are being looked at. When you look at the kind of response, do you find it a little troubling?

DAVID WRITEBOL: Well, people always are afraid of the things that they don't know and so yes, it can cause them to do things that are perhaps a little bit outside the norm or maybe even a lot outside the norm. So we just don't know exactly how to react to that sometimes.

NANCY WRITEBOL: And I think one of the things we have to remember too is that we need to keep focusing back on what is happening in West Africa and the fact that so much research is being done now for vaccines and also for the serum that can help for those who have contracted Ebola.

FEYERICK: And Nancy, we also understand -- we know you can't tell exactly the circumstances, but also that you yourself donated blood. Was that for analysis, for study, for potential development of treatments?

NANCY WRITEBOL: I have given blood -- I am in a study at Emory and happy to be able to do that. It is a study for -- to see about immunity and also I believe for vaccines.

FEYERICK: When you look at what's going on in Texas, Nancy and David, do you believe that somebody should have been more responsible? For example, even the gear that you wore in Liberia, should that sophisticated kind of equipment, full gear, have been implemented in Texas as well in your opinion, David?

DAVID WRITEBOL: Well, you know, the healthcare workers should take every precaution and should be -- you know, they should be trained. There is equipment. There is application of what is known and so all of those things should come together to adequately address a given situation.

And so we would hope that those things would be done in each and every case. Again, what we're seeing should heighten the awareness and heighten the alert for all of our healthcare providers.

FEYERICK: You know, Dr. Thomas Frieden, the head of the CDC said that we can stop Ebola in its tracks, but there is also the unknown human nature. What they are going to do? Like Amber Vinson was excited. She was getting married. She was meeting up with her bridesmaids to pick dresses.

She decided to travel. She called the CDC. If you have to ask the question, should I be flying given I've been exposed to someone who had Ebola? Do you think perhaps she should not have gone, simply, period?

NANCY WRITEBOL: Well, I think that she -- I mean, they probably responded to the situation as it was at the current moment. And at that moment, you know, when she traveled, her fever was not elevated to the level that CDC was recommending that she not travel.

So you can live your life in fear and in hiding. But there is a point where it is important that, you know, in those 21 days I think that you have to be very, very cautious. And whether she made the right decision or the wrong decision, I think, you know, the -- the whole thing stems back to the fact that she was in contact with the CDC.

FEYERICK: Exactly. Very, very quickly, Nancy, what are your words of guidance and wisdom to these two nurses? What do you tell them right now quickly?

NANCY WRITEBOL: Well, I just want to say that we're really praying for them and wish them all the best. And there are going to be good days and there are going to be bad days. But just hang in there and we'll just continue to pray for them.

FEYERICK: All right. Nancy Writebol, David Writebol, thank you so much for your insights on treating this and with this virus. Thank you.

And with Ebola spreading, health officials really are racing to find a vaccine. The latest on trials that's under way right now.

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FEYERICK: Canada says it will ship 800 vials of its experimental Ebola vaccine to the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. The first shipment is scheduled to be sent on Monday.

With several active Ebola cases in the U.S. and the potential for more in the future, finding a vaccine that works is a priority. As CNN's Brian Todd reports, the race is on.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We've known about the Ebola virus now for 38 years, but up until now, no vaccines have been available for public use. Right now, at this U.S. Army facility outside Washington, they are frantically testing a vaccine for the first time on humans.

(voice-over): An urgent need to find a vaccine for Ebola. In this U.S. Army laboratory, vials like these contain the ingredients crucial in the race against the deadly virus. It's one of two Ebola vaccines now being tested in the U.S. for the first time on humans.

(on camera): Can the vaccine being tested here stop this outbreak?

DR. SHON REMICH, WALTER REED ARMY INSTITUTE OF RESEARCH: Well, it depends on how fast we can get this particular product through the regulatory pathway so that it can be used in efficacy-type trials. Right now, we have to establish that it's safe.

TODD (voice-over): Vaccine investigator, Colonel Shon Remich gave us inside access to the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The VSV Ebola vaccine is being tested here on 39 people. They cannot get Ebola here from the vaccine and officials here say the side effects are minimal.

Experts say, when Ebola gets into the body, it often overwhelms the immune system, works too fast for the immune system to combat it. This vaccine is designed to speed up the immune system's ability to fight Ebola.

(on camera): If this vaccine works, could it be used to prevent people from getting to the Ebola virus and treat people who already have it?

REMICH: The majority of the studies we're looking at post-exposure, that means animals that were exposed to the Ebola virus and then treated. We also did some studies that looked at pre-exposure, so we were given the vaccine -- they were given the vaccine and then exposed. Both of those were good results and so we are cautiously optimistic.

TODD (voice-over): But will it work in humans?

DR. JESSE GOODMAN, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, GEORGETOWN MEDICAL CENTER: To be very realistic, most medicines and vaccines, even that look great in animals, don't pan out in the long run.

TODD: Even as they rush these vaccines through trials, there are serious questions over why it's taken this long. Even though we've known about the Ebola virus since 1976, there are no approved Ebola vaccines available to the public. Why? Experts say Ebola outbreaks, until now, haven't been widespread enough.

GOODMAN: It's not on the order or it hasn't been, until recently, of a problem like malaria, HIV, or TB in terms of how people have prioritized investment in vaccines.

TODD (on camera): So, when will this vaccine be ready? Dr. Remich says they're pushing the testing protocol here as fast as possible, but he and other experts say even under the best of circumstances, the vaccine being tested here and at the National Institutes of Health may not be ready for public use for several months. They simply have to make sure the vaccines are safe. Brian Todd, CNN, Silver Spring, Maryland.

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FEYERICK: And we will have the latest on all the new developments against Ebola after this. We will be right back.

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FEYERICK: For the first time, we're hearing from one of the Dallas doctors who treated all three Ebola patients including Thomas Eric Duncan. Dr. Gary Weinstein says his team did everything it could to try to save Duncan's life.

Duncan was the first person diagnosed ever with Ebola in the United States. He died earlier this month. In recent weeks, Duncan's family has accused the hospital of not treating him fairly because of his race. Our affiliate, WFAA, had a chance to ask Dr. Weinstein about those accusations.

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DR. GARY WEINSTEIN, TEXAS HEALTH PRESBYTERIAN HOSPITAL: I find that remarkably insulting. That's -- I don't know how better to describe that. The team here worked their tails off to try and save his life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think you tried everything you could?

WEINSTEIN: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think he could not be saved?

WEINSTEIN: Yes, he was too sick.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What was your reaction -- did you know he was dying? And that it was imminent?

WEINSTEIN: It is very, very quick. He was critically ill and unstable and over a period of minutes, he lost his pulse and was dead. (END VIDEOTAPE)

FEYERICK: And you can see the emotion there on his face and his voice. In the WFAA exclusive, Dr. Weinstein also addressed accusations that teams were not given proper protective gear. He says that his team was given everything that the team asked for.

And we have much more just ahead in the "NEWSROOM." It all starts right now.