A British nurse, William Pooley, who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone and was treated with the experimental drug, Zmapp, has recovered and has been discharged from hospital.
The drug was credited with saving the lives of two American missionaries earlier this month. It had been thought that supplies of ZMapp had run out, but doctors at the Royal Free Hospital, in London, managed to get hold of some from abroad and Mr Pooley was given the first dose on Monday.
Further doses are expected to be given to him “in due course”.
Dr Michael Jacobs, consultant in infectious diseases at the hospital, said: “We have had the opportunity to give him the ZMapp treatment that I am sure you are aware of. It is an experimental medicine, we made that absolutely clear in our discussions with him.”
Dr Jacobs added: “What has become apparent to us is that he is clearly a rather resilient and remarkable young man.”
Mr Pooley’s condition was described as “very stable”, and he has been sitting up in bed, talking and reading, and been in good spirits.
There is no cure for Ebola, but encouraging results with people who have been given ZMapp suggest it is the nearest thing to a cure currently available.
It was given to the two US aid workers, Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, after they were flown to a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, from Liberia. Both have since been discharged from hospital after recovering.
At least 1,427 people have died and 2,615 have been infected since the current outbreak of Ebola was detected in the forests of Guinea in March.
