Germany unveils special jet to transport Ebola patients

The German government unveiled Thursday at Berlin's Tegel Airport a special medical evacuation plane, which is designed to transport patients infected with Ebola.

The aircraft "Robert Koch" is equipped with special "isolation units", which are connected to a separate exhaust system to prevent the spread of the virus, Xinhua reported.

The converted A340 allows patients being flown out of Ebola-infested West African countries to be treated en route. In addition to the crew, a team of doctors wearing protective clothing will be working on board.

The evacuation plane is part of Germany's assistance measures for the fight against Ebola. The government, German airline Lufthansa and Robert Koch Institute, Germany's disease control and prevention centre, were involved in the development of the aircraft.

Authorities named the plane after the German pioneer of microbiology Robert Koch. Koch is best known for his work in identifying what causes tuberculosis and cholera.