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Germany's government took delivery of a long-haul jet specially adapted to transport Ebola patients on Thursday. The Airbus A340-300 has a high-security isolation unit surrounded by an airtight tent with negative pressure, while two further tents serve as buffers so that the treatment tent can be entered and exited safely.

German carrier Lufthansa, which spent weeks converting the former passenger aircraft, said in a press release that the plane was "the world's only evacuation facility for highly contagious patients," and would offer more comprehensive care than the smaller jets that have been used to transport Ebola patients in recent months.

The 'Robert Koch' evacuation plane drives on the tarmac after landing at Tegel Airport in Berlin on Thursday. MAURIZIO GAMBARINI / EPA

— David Arnott