U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
NIH Office of the Director (OD) <http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/>
For Immediate Release: Friday, October 24, 2014
CONTACT: NIH Office of Communication, 301-496-5787, <e-mail:nmb@xxxxxxxxxx>
TEXAS NURSE FREE OF EBOLA VIRUS; DISCHARGED FROM NIH CLINICAL CENTER
The NIH Clinical Center has discharged Ms. Nina Pham, the Texas nurse who was admitted on Thursday, October 16, with Ebola virus disease, after confirming that she is now free of the virus. It is critical to remember that people who have survived Ebola are not contagious and can no longer spread disease. We would not be releasing Ms. Pham if we were not completely confident in the knowledge that she has fully recovered, is virus free and poses no public health threat. The healthcare team at the NIH is pleased to have had the opportunity to provide care to Ms. Pham and guide her recovery. We extend our best wishes to her as she continues to regain her strength and return to normal life.
CDC has additional information on the facts of being virus free. <http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/transmission/index.html?s_cid=cs_3923>
Below is Ms. Pham's statement delivered at today's NIH press conference held at the Clinical Center today:
Good afternoon. I feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today.
I would first and foremost like to thank God, my family, and friends. Throughout this ordeal, I have put my trust in God and my medical team. I am on my way back to recovery, even as I reflect on how many others have not been so fortunate.
Of course I am so incredibly thankful for everyone involved in my care from the moment I became ill and was admitted to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital - Dallas up to today and my discharge from the Clinical Research Center of NIH. I would especially like to thank Dr. Kent Brantly for his selfless act of donating plasma to me. As a nurse, I have a special appreciation for the care I have received from so many people. Not just doctors and nurses, but the entire support team.
I believe in the power of prayer because I know so many people all over the world have been praying for me. I do not know how I can ever thank everyone enough for their prayers and their expressions of concern, hope, and love. I join you in prayer now for the recovery of others, including my colleague and friend Amber Vinson and Dr. Craig Spencer.
I hope that people understand that this illness and this whole experience have been very stressful and challenging for me and for my family. Although I no longer have Ebola, I know that it may be a while before I have my strength back. So, with gratitude and respect for everyone's concern, I ask for my privacy and for my family's privacy to be respected as I return to Texas and try to get back to a normal life and reunite with my dog Bentley.
About the NIH Clinical Center: The NIH Clinical Center is the clinical research hospital for the National Institutes of Health. Through clinical research, clinician-investigators translate laboratory discoveries into better treatments, therapies and interventions to improve the nation's health. More information: <http://clinicalcenter.nih.gov>
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit <www.nih.gov>.
NIH...Turning Discovery into Health -- Registered, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
-------------------
The online version of this release includes an image of NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins, NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci and NIH Clinical Center Director, Dr. John Gallin exit the Clinical Center with recently discharged Ebola patient Nina Pham.
This image can be viewed at: <http://www.nih.gov/news/ebola/images/fcafnp-full.jpg>
###
This NIH News Release is available online at:
<http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2014/od-24a.htm>.
To subscribe (or unsubscribe) from NIH News Release mailings, go to
<http://service.govdelivery.com/service/subscribe.html?code=USNIH_1>.
If you subscribed via the NIH LISTSERV, go to <https://list.nih.gov/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A0=nihpress>.
