American aid workers infected with Ebola released from hospital

"Today is a miraculous day. I am thrilled to be alive, to be well and to be reunited with my family," Dr. Kent Brantly, 33, one of two Christian aid workers who were infected with the Ebola virus while working in Liberia declared after he was released from an Atlanta hospital today.

Nancy Writebol, 59, an Brantly’s colleague who also contracted the virus was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday, according to Emory and the aid group SIM. She is spending private time with her husband. "As she walked out of her isolation room, all she could say was 'To God be the glory,'" Brantly said.
Brantly, who clutched the hand of his wife, Amber, before speaking, said he would be spending a month in private with his family before sharing any more of his story. "But for now we need some time together after a month apart," he said.

"Please do not stop praying for the people of Liberia and West Africa and for an end to this Ebola epidemic," Brantly pleaded in a brief statement. He hugged his doctors and nurses as he left, and officials at Emory and the CDC emphasized that the patients pose no risk to public health.

Dr. Bruce Ribner, director of Emory’s Infectious Disease Unit, said at the news conference: “After a rigorous course of treatment and testing, the Emory Healthcare team has determined that both patients have recovered from the Ebola virus and can return to their families and community without concern for spreading this infection to others"We understand that there are a lot of questions and concerns about the Ebola virus and the infection that is causes. However we cannot let our fears dictate our actions," Ribner added. "We don't think he's contagious."

Both aid workers received experimental treatment before being flown to an isolation unit in Emory University Hospital in Atlanta in early August. Ribner says there is no way to tell if it helped.

His words:"They are the very first individuals to ever receive this agent ... and frankly, we do not know whether it helped them, whether it made no difference or whether it delayed their recovery”
He said doctors would follow up on both Writebol and Brantly to make sure they continue to recover, and to watch for any side-effects from the treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement that the release of the two patients did not pose any risk to the public. "They no longer have Ebola virus in their blood and therefore pose no risk to household contacts or the public. There are no restrictions to the patients' activities of daily living”