US nurse beat Ebola released from hospital

Washington, Oct 29 (IANS/EFE) Amber Vinson, one of the two Dallas nurses who cared for an Ebola-infected Liberian man and then infected with the virus themselves, was released from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta Tuesday after a 10-day stay.

Vinson "has recovered from her infection with Ebola virus, and she can return to her community and to her life" without any risk of transmitting the virus to others, doctor Bruce Ribner, head of the highly contagious disease unit at the hospital, told reporters at a press conference.

The physician, who headed the medical team that has successfully treated four patients with Ebola to date, emphasised that Vinson's success at beating the disease was due to the experience that medical authorities have acquired with other patients.

He did not specify the kind of treatment Vinson received at Emory University Hospital or whether the nurse was treated with any experimental drugs.

Ribner said that Vinson's age, 29, could have been one of the factors involved in her rapid recovery.

The doctor said that experience has shown that younger patients have better chances of recovering from Ebola than older patients.

Meanwhile, the nurse, who attended the press conference but did not respond to reporters' questions, thanked the medical personnel and her family for the care and support they provided during her stay in the hospital.

Vinson was infected with the virus while she was caring for Thomas Eric Duncan who later died in a Dallas hospital last month.

--IANS/EFE

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