Nurse Who Contracted Ebola Virus-Free, Mom Says
— -- A Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola from Liberian national Thomas Duncan is virus-free, her mother told ABC News in a statement.
Amber Vinson became the second person to contract Ebola in the United States after she treated Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. Duncan died of the virus on Oct. 8, and Vinson's fellow nurse, Nina Pham, 26, tested positive for Ebola on Oct. 11.
Vinson, 29, was diagnosed on Oct. 15 and transported to the isolation unit at Emory University Hospital for treatment.
"We are overjoyed to announce that, as of yesterday [Tuesday] evening, officials at Emory University Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control are no longer able to detect virus in her body," the family said in the statement today, adding that Vinson should be able to leave the isolation unit.
"Amber and our family are ecstatic to receive this latest report on her condition," Vinson's mother, Debra Berry, said in a statement. "We all know that further treatment will be necessary as Amber continues to regain strength, but these latest developments have truly answered prayers and bring our family one step closer to reuniting with her at home."
Before her diagnosis, Vinson flew Frontier Airlines from Dallas to Cleveland, Ohio, to plan for her upcoming wedding. People who shared her flights have been contacted by the airline.
