Two U.S. health workers infected with Ebola in Liberia were released from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta after treatment there helped wipe out the deadly virus from their blood.
Kent Brantly, a doctor, was discharged yesterday. Nancy Writebol, an aid worker, was released Aug. 19, the hospital said in a statement. They had been evacuated to the U.S. for treatment and are expected to make a full recovery.
“Today is a miraculous day,” Brantly said at a news conference in Atlanta. “I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, to be reunited with my family.”
As he left the press conference to rejoin his family, he hugged many of the five doctors, 21 nurses and other hospital workers who had helped care for him and Writebol while at Emory.
“If the hugging transmitted the feeling that we don’t think he’s contagious, that would be correct,” said Bruce Ribner, the physician who led the care of both patients. The decision to release the patients was based on U.S. guidelines that call for a patient to have no virus in their blood and improved symptoms for two to three days, he said.
Brantly and Writebol had been receiving medical care at the Atlanta hospital since early August, after each was flown in on a medical isolation jet from Liberia. Before the flight, each received an experimental drug developed by Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., a closely held biotechnology company based in San Diego.
It’s not known whether the Mapp treatment or a blood transfusion Brantly received from a 14-year-old survivor played any role their recovery, according to Ribner. The outcomes were improved by the supportive care they received at Emory, he said, including the replacement of fluids and electrolytes and monitoring their blood for clotting.
“Limited knowledge of the Ebola virus, especially in our country, has created a lot of fear,” Ribner said. “However, we cannot let our fears dictate our actions. We must all care. As grateful as we are today, our work is far from over.”
The patients will continue to receive follow-up care. Both are now believed to be immune to the strain of Ebola spreading in West Africa, though not the other four strains, Ribner said.
Brantly will be spending time with his family to “reconnect, decompress and continue to recover physically and emotionally” before sharing more about his experience with the media, he said. He didn’t say where he would be going next.
Writebol didn’t appear at the press conference and has been at an undisclosed location since her discharge, SIM, the missionary group she was working for in Liberia, said in a statement.
“Nancy is free of the virus, but the lingering effects of the battle have left her in a significantly weakened condition,” her husband, David Writebol, said in a statement. “Thus, we decided it would be best to leave the hospital privately to be able to give her the rest and recuperation she needs at this time.”
Brantly said Writebol asked that he share with the public her gratitude.
“As she walked out of her isolation room, all she could say was, ‘To God be the glory,’” Brantly said.
via@Bloomberg