Well, I almost cannot believe I am answering this but.... better care.
The overall health care in the US is better than it is in Africa. (surprise!) Intensive care, around- the- clock attention, treatment of every possible situation that arises from the poor condition of the patient. While we (humans) cannot treat viruses specifically, we can greatly aid a patient suffering from a virus: we can maintain hydration, balance electrolytes, maintain respiration up to and including actually causing respiration to happen, counteract high body temperatures that often result from a severe infection (betcha' they can't do that in 'the bush'), re- start a normal rhythm in a heart that has gone into fibrillation, etc., etc., ad nauseum. In short, better care than any third- world country that I am aware of, especially outside of whatever major hospitals may be available there (and I do not believe those Americans were operating in a major hospital in Africa).
The morbidity rate of Ebola is so high at least in part because there is little to no care for the patients who have it.
And, as Rich said earlier, it treating patients in the US provides an opportunity to study the disease's progress, note its specific stages and the results of each stage and begin to develop useful treatments for the patients of the disease if not the actual virus. How many blood gas analyses do you think there might be available in huge parts of Africa?
I am not a liberal, bleeding- heart or otherwise. I am not naive and do not think that happy thoughts or blowing sunshine up our collective skirts is going to do any good. But we are all stuck here on this rock together, and we have formed and live in societies for better AND worse. I think the day of leper colonies and forming angry mobs with pitchforks and torches to find and punish the [witch, sorcerer, [put ethnic / religious group here], demons, et. al] are over. Time to move in a different direction and work toward more profitable (and I do not necessarily mean money) pursuits. Standing on some imaginary line with sticks poking the 'bad' people and trying to keep them 'away' just won't work anymore IMO.
Brian
Your incredulity that I asked the question does not answer it. I have yet to hear a valid medical reason for the infected people to be brought to this country. It's my understanding the fatality rate is as high as 90%. Unless the magic elixer works there is no known cure or treatment to facilitate recovery. So the question stands.