LONDON: A British nurse infected with Ebola while working in Sierra Leone was discharged from a London hospital yesterday after recovering from the disease following treatment with the experimental drug ZMapp.
“I was very lucky,” said William Pooley, 29, who had been working as a volunteer in one of the worst-hit areas and was flown out of Africa on a specially-equipped British military plane.
“I had some unpleasant symptoms but nothing compared to some of the worst of the disease, especially when people end up dying,” said Pooley, who has been the only Briton reportedly infected.
The Royal Free Hospital, the only facility in Britain with a high-level isolation unit that can host Ebola patients, said the treatment had been “successful”.
Pooley, who spent 10 days in the hospital, was given the drug ZMapp, which was also used on two US missionaries who also recovered. At least two others also treated with ZMapp have died.
More than 1,900 people have died in the Ebola epidemic sweeping through West Africa — all in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone — according to a count released by the World Health Organization yesterday.
Pooley, quoted by the hospital, admitted “I was worried I was going to die”, but added that he had no regrets about flying out to Sierra Leone to help with the outbreak.
“I wish that the level of care I’ve received here could be provided there”, he said.
“I have mixed memories, some great memories and some horrible memories — lots of people dying...
“But also some wonderful memories of people going home, people showing massive spirit and cheer, despite the horrible conditions, the truly heroic people that I worked with, people that went on to get sick, so it is a massive mix of memories.”
Pooley found out he had the disease from a World Health Organization (WHO) doctor, following a blood test.
AFP
