EBOLA nurse Pauline Cafferkey has been discharged from hospital after being treated for the third time.
The 40-year-old from Cambuslang was flown to London’s Royal Free Hospital last Tuesday after being admitted to the Queen Elizabeth in Glasgow.
The Royal Free confirmed yesterday that she had been discharged and said she was “not infectious”. She has been treated there three times since contracting the virus in 2014 after flying to Sierra Leone to help contain the epidemic.
“Pauline Cafferkey has today been discharged from the care of the Royal Free Hospital following her admission due to a complication related to her previous infection by the Ebola virus,” said a Royal Free spokesperson.
“We can confirm that Pauline is not infectious. The Ebola virus can only be transmitted by direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person while they are symptomatic.”
After her discharge, UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: “It’s fantastic news that Pauline Cafferkey has been discharged from hospital. Outstanding care again from @RoyalFreeNHS #NHSheroes.”
Cafferkey came close to death last autumn as a result of the virus lingering in her brain.
Since the outbreak in Africa it has been discovered that Ebola does not always clear from all parts of the body in patients who appear to have recovered. Some have later complained of lethargy, headaches and eye problems while research has shown that the Ebola virus can persist in bodily fluids, including semen, for months after infection.
In October Cafferkey did not become ill with Ebola, but meningitis caused by the virus.
“The virus re-emerged around the brain and around the spinal column to cause meningitis,” said the Royal Free’s lead consultant Mike Jacobs at the time. “She developed some serious neurological complications.
“We’re very hopeful that Pauline will slowly make a full recovery; that’s very much in our sights. Over time we anticipate that the virus will be completely eradicated. She has a long road to full recovery.”
Cafferkey volunteered to work in the Save the Children emergency treatment centre near Freetown, the Sierra Leone capital. She fell ill with the virus on her return to the UK and spent almost a month in isolation at the Royal Free early in 2015, but was discharged after apparently making a full recovery.
She went back to work last March as a public health nurse at Blantyre Health Centre, but came close to death after her October relapse.
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