Ebola nurse Amber Vinson was discharged from the hospital after being declared free of the virus said on Tuesday that she is “so grateful to be well.” The 29-year-old was the second notable discharge from a hospital after being admitted to Emory University Hospital to treat the deadly virus that has killed more than 5,000 globally.
She was one of the first nurses who had contact with, and treated Thomas Duncan, the individual who died from Ebola on October 8th. Nina Pham was the last notable release, occurring on October 24th from the National Institutes of Health hospital located in Bethesda, Maryland. Emory hospital is located in Atlanta, and that was the first move that took place when she initially thought that she might have contracted the disease in Dallas.
She was in hospital care for a total of 13 days, and her survival, along with the survival of Nurse Nina Pham, it has restored faith that the United States is fully-capable of handling this deadly virus. Bruce Ribner, the medical director of Emory’s Serious Communicable Disease Unit, said of Vinson, “We have determined that Miss Vinson has recovered from her infection with Ebola virus and that she can return to her family, to the community and to her life without any concern about transmitting this virus to another individual.”
However, many remain skeptical, especially when it comes to policies for handling those who are coming back from Ebola-stricken regions, like West Africa. The CDC released new Ebola guidelines, and President Obama vowed his support for those “sensible” guidelines amidst criticism of state handling of individuals coming from Ebola hot spots. New York and New Jersey were heavily criticized for policies that each put into place over the weekend, forcing mandatory quarantines for individuals not showing symptoms of the virus.
“This disease can be contained. It will be defeated. Progress is possible, but we are going to have to stay vigilant,” President Obama went on to say in his remarks today. The President has been criticized for not being able to reach both sides of the issue when it comes to Ebola. Many have contested that travel bans should be instituted, or mandatory quarantines should be required, while others have argued that unless symptomatic there is no health risk to the general public.
President Obama is expected to speak again on the issue tomorrow, and will likely offer greater detail into the planning and execution of further Ebola policy.
