Atlanta Ebola Patients Recovered, One Already Released

One aid worker who contracted the Ebola virus in west Africa and was sent to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta was treated for the disease and secretly discharged earlier this week, while the second cured Ebola patient is being released on Thursday.

Emory officials have confirmed that Nancy Writebol was released from their care on Tuesday, while Dr. Kent Brantly will be discharged later today. Both were working in west Africa as members of the faith-based service organization Samaritan’s Purse when they were stricken with the disease, which has claimed at least 1,350 lives during an outbreak which began in February.

Writebol and Brantly were returned to the United States in early August via Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Cobb County. The pair were treated in a state of the art isolation ward that is physically separated from other parts of the hospital. Only a handful of medical personnel ever interacted with Brantly or Writebol during their recovery.

Writebol’s husband David said in a statement that although his wife has been cured of the disease, she is still exhausted and weak from her treatment. Writebol cited her current condition as the main reason why she was discharged with no announcement on Tuesday.

Brantly, speaking at a Thursday press conference announcing his discharge, said, “I can not thank you enough for your prayers and support.”

Emory University doctors say that neither person is a health risk.