Nina Pham,
the first person to contract Ebola on U.S. soil, thanked the prayers she
received from all over the world and a blood transfusion from Dr Kent
Brantly - the American doctor who caught the disease in Liberia - as she
was released from hospital on Friday, 12 days after being diagnosed
with the virus.
After
being released from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
in Bethesda, Maryland, and fronting a press conference, the Dallas nurse
was transported straight to the White House for a meeting with
President Obama.
The President warmly greeted the health worker with a hug.
'I feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today,' the 26-year-old told reporters at the press conference.
'I would first and foremost like to thank God, my family, and friends.
'I would especially like to thank Dr Kent Brantly for his selfless act of donating plasma to me.
'I believe in the power of prayer, because I know so many people all over the world have been praying for me.'
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Officially cured: President Barack
Obama meets with Ebola survivor Nina Pham in the Oval Office of the
White House in Washington, on Friday, October 24, 2014, straight after
the Dallas nurse was released from hospital
Hug: President Barack Obama greeted the Dallas nurse Nina Pham with a hug on Friday afternoon
Embracing Ebola: President Obama and
Nina Pham hug in the Oval Office as her mother Diana, center, and sister
Cathy Pham sit nearby
All-clear: Miss Pham tested negative for Ebola on five DNA tests before she was released from hospital Friday
Freed: Nina
Pham, the Dallas nurse infected with Ebola as she treated dying patient
Thomas Eric Duncan, speaks at a press conference after being discharged
from hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, on Friday
In the clear: Patient Nina Pham is
hugged by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, outside of National Institutes of
Health Clinical Center on Friday
Support: Nina Pham, center, with her
mother Diana Berry, right, and sister Cathy Pham, left, smiles as
members of the NIH staff outside applaud during a news conference in
Maryland on Friday
Blessed: Nina Pham told reporters she
felt 'fortunate and blessed to be standing here today' as she left the
US National Institutes of Health (NIH) hospital outside Washington D.C.
Quarantined:
Miss Pham's beloved dog, Bentley, has been placed on a 21-day
incubation following his owners Ebola diagnosis. He is due to be
released on November 1
'Although I no longer have Ebola, I know it may be a while before I have my strength back.'
Dr
Anthony Fauci, the infectious disease chief at the NIH, was sure to
reiterate at the press conference: ‘(Nina) is cured of Ebola.’
Miss
Pham was one of two nurses in Dallas who became infected with Ebola
while treating Thomas Eric Duncan, who died of the virus October 8.
She was diagnosed on October 12, but has since tested negative to five DNA exams
Amber Vinson, the second nurse to be diagnosed with Ebola, was cleared of the virus earlier this week, her family said.
Miss
Pham received a blood transfusion from Dr Kent Brantly, who was given
the all-clear from Ebola after controversially being flown into the U.S.
from Liberia.
Those who have survived Ebola have antibodies in their blood which can help new sufferers beat the disease, doctors believe.
Pham
was transferred to the biocontainment unit of the NIH facility last week
from Texas Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, where she contracted
Ebola.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest told The New York Times that Obama requested a meeting with Miss Pham when she heard she was about to be discharged.
Earnest
told the newspaper that no extra precautions were taken by having Miss
Pham inside the Oval Office because a 'clean bill of health' is
precaution enough.
Earnest added that the President wanted to thank Miss Pham for caring for Thomas Eric Duncan.
Miss Pham was expected to leave for her home in Dallas following the White House visit.
At
the press conference today, Miss Pham said she was eager to be reunited
with her dog, Bentley, who was quarantined following his owner's
diagnosis.
Bentley will have see out a 21-day incubation, which is due to end November 1, before his properly reunited with Miss Pham.
She is expected to visit Bentley before his release.
Tragic: Nina Pham, 26, was fighting
for her life after contracting Ebola from Thomas Eric Duncan earlier
this month. She has now been declared virus free and was released from
hospital on Friday
Treatment: Nina Pham is seen here
inside Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas on Thursday October 16,
2014, before being flown to the National Institutes of Health outside
Washington
Despite
wearing protective gear that included gowns, gloves, masks and face
shields while caring for Mr Duncan, Miss Pham became the first person to
contract the disease on U.S. soil.
Pham's parents live in Fort Worth, where they are part of a closely-knit, deeply-religious community of Vietnamese Catholics.
Dr
Brantly's blood donation is the third time the medic has helped an
Ebola victim. He was found to have the same blood type as previous
patient Dr Nick Sacra and NBC cameraman Ashoka Mukpo, who is still being
treated.
Ebola survivor Dr Kent Brantly 'selflessly' provided blood for a transfusion for Nina Pham
Incredibly,
the nurse also matched with Dr Brantly and was given a transfusion of
his blood in a move that doctors believe could save her life.
Brantly is believed to have traveled to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, where Pham worked, to make the donation.
Dr
Kent Brantly was flown back from Liberia to the U.S. after contracting
Ebola during his missionary work for Samaritan's Purse.
He
survived after receiving a dose of the experimental serum Z-Mapp and
round-the-clock care at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
On
September 10, Dr Brantly donated blood to a fellow doctor, Dr Rick
Sacra, who also contracted Ebola during his work in West Africa and
survived the disease.
He also offered his blood to Thomas Eric Duncan but their blood types didn't match.
Pham
was diagnosed after admitting herself to hospital when her temperature
spiked – one of the first symptoms of the deadly virus.
On
Friday the Texas Department of State Health Services acknowledged the
release of Miss Pham, who was moved to Maryland to recieve better care.
On the mend: Miss Pham, seen here in a 2010 yearbook photo from Texas Christian University, will now return home to Dallas
'I’m
happy that Nina Pham is now free of Ebola, and her health continues to
improve,' the department's commissioner, Dr. David Lakey, said in a
statement.
'Ms.
Pham’s recovery is a testament to her perseverance in the face of the
disease, the excellent care she has received and the support she had of
so many here in Texas and across the nation.
'Ms.
Pham is returning to Texas where she will continue to rest and regain
her strength, but there is nothing medically that will prevent her from
resuming a normal life.'
'Based
on all of the clinical findings and lab tests, we are completely
confident that she has cleared the virus and is of no risk to transmit
the virus to others.'
Her release came on the day when New York was still reeling from the diagnosis of its first Ebola sufferer.
Dr
Craig Spencer, a Doctors without Borders volunteer, was diagnosed as
carrying the virus on Thursday night after returning to the city from
Guinea where he had been helping sufferers for a month.
The
doctor's fever spiked to 100.3 on Thursday which caused him to alert
officials. He said he felt sluggish two days before but didn't
necessarily think it was a sign of the illness.
He enjoyed seven days in New York while carrying the disease and sparked terror across the affected areas.
The 33-year-old went on a jog near his Harlem home, ate dinner at a restaurant and even went bowling.
His
fiancee is currently quarantined in New York's Belle Vue Hospital
alongside him but is showing no signs of having caught the virus. Two
friends the couple spent time with are also in self-isolation and are
being monitored for signs of the disease.
Route: Dr Craig Spencer made several stops across New York on Wednesday night just hours before his diagnosis
TIMELINE: THE RUN-UP TO DR SPENCER'S EBOLA DIAGNOSIS
September 16:
Dr Craig Spencer flew to Guinea to treat Ebola patients as a member of
the French organization Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans
Frontiers)
October 14: Dr Spencer departed Guinea on a flight to Brussels. He reported no symptoms.
October 17: He boarded a flight to the U.S. on Brussels Airlines Flight SN0501. Reported no symptoms.
Arrived at JFK and was screened with no symptoms upon arrival.
October 21: At 7 AM, he reported fatigue and exhaustion. No fever, vomiting, diarrhea.
At around 3:00 PM, Dr Spencer visited The Meatball Shop for 40 minutes. The Meatball Shop is located at 64 Greenwich Avenue.
Around
4:30 PM, the he visited the High Line. Walked on High Line and stopped
at the Blue Bottle Coffee stand (10th Ave & W 16th St)
At around 5:30 PM, he got off the High Line at 34th Street and took the 1 train to the 145th Street station.
October 22: At around 1:00 PM, Dr Spencer went running along Riverside Drive and Westside Highway
Around
2:00 PM, he went to pick up Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm
share at 143rd St and Amsterdam Avenue (Corbin Hill Farm) and picked up a
box which he took to his apartment.
At
around 5:30 PM, Dr Spencer left for The Gutter bowling alley in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn with two friends. For his arrival at Gutter, he
took the A train at 145th Street and transferred at 14th Street and took
the L train to Bedford Avenue.
Around 8:30 PM, Dr Spencer left The Gutter. For his return trip, he used Uber as his means of transportation.
October 23:
Around 10:15AM, he first reported a fever. At this point, he called
Medecins Sans Frontieres and the New York City Health Department. He was
immediately taken to Bellevue by FDNY EMS.
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