Pauline Cafferkey leaves hospital after third Ebola alert

By The Press Association29th February 2016News ScotlandNews Scotland, Pauline Cafferkey

Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey has been discharged from hospital after being treated for the third time for a complication linked to the disease.

The Royal Free Hospital said the Scottish medic was released on Sunday and is “not infectious”.

The 40-year-old was originally infected with the killer disease while working in Sierra Leone in December 2014, and she was flown from Glasgow to the London hospital on February 23 for her latest treatment.

In a statement, the Royal Free said: “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.

“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.”

Ms Cafferkey spent almost a month in an isolation unit at the Royal Free after being flown home from west Africa.

She was released after making a recovery, but she fell ill again in October last year and was again treated at the Royal Free for meningitis caused by Ebola.

At one point, the Scottish nurse was described as ”critically ill” but she was discharged in November and transferred to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital to continue her recovery, and later returned home.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said on Tuesday last week that Ms Cafferkey was in a stable condition at the city hospital after “routine monitoring” identified a problem. She was later flown to London.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted: “It’s fantastic news that Pauline Cafferkey has been discharged from hospital. Outstanding care again from @RoyalFreeNHS #NHSheroes.”