U.S. Ebola Patient Dr. Kent Brantly Discharged from Hospital
Dr. Kent Brantly, the Samaritan’s Purse physician who contracted Ebola in Liberia, has been discharged from Emory University Hospital on August 21, 2014. During the Thursday press conference, Dr. Brantly said, “Today is a miraculous day. I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my family.”
Brantly thanked those who cared and prayed for him. “I serve a faithful God who answers prayers,” he said, adding “God saved my life.” On Tuesday, missionary Nancy Writebol was released from the same hospital but requested that she and her family have personal time together and to be kept out of the news.
“To God be the glory,”Writebol said as she walked out of her isolation room Tuesday.
Franklin Graham, Samaritan’s Purse president, said in a statement, “Today I join all of our Samaritan’s Purse team around the world in giving thanks to God as we celebrate Dr. Kent Brantly’s recovery from Ebola,”.
Brantly prior to leaving walked around the room at Emory University Hospital hugging staff members and shaking hands, demonstrating the staff is confident that the patient’s discharge poses “no public health threat,” said Dr. Bruce Ribner, director of director of Emory’s Infectious Disease Unit added, “Nancy is free of the virus, but the lingering effects of the battle have left her in a significantly weakened condition.”
ChristainPost.com reports that the doctors implied that Brantly and his family may return to Liberia to work with those affected by Ebola. The California company Mapp Biopharmaceutical are the developers of the Ebola serum Zmapp, told CNN that they sent their entire inventory of the drug overseas to treat the virus outbreak.
Dr.Ribner also spoke at the press conference to talk about the recovery process of Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol.
“What we learned in caring for them will help advance the world’s understanding of how to treat Ebola infections and help, hopefully, to improve survival,” Dr. Bruce said, according to CNN.
The update of those affected by the World Health Organization (WHO) as of August 20, 2014 includes,
Sierra Leone 907 cases 374 deaths
Guinea 579 cases 396 deaths
Liberia 972 cases 576 deaths
Nigeria 15 cases 4 deaths
Totals 2473 cases 1350 deaths
America is still a force for good today and while the debate continues as to whether the two Americans should have been brought home to be treated, one thing is for sure—both of these Christian missionaries are alive and grateful to God and the American healthcare industry, which is still the best in the world—at least for now.
