William Pooley, the British health worker, who had earlier tested positive for the Ebola virus, has been released from the Royal Free Hospital, in London, on Wednesday, after receiving the experimental treatment.
"I was very lucky in several ways," said Pooley at a press conference, in the Royal Free Hospital, London.
"The standard of care I received was a world apart from what people are getting in West Africa, despite the best efforts of the healthcare workers out there. I've got friends who are sick at the moment and there is such a contrast. I've got nothing but praise for the level of care, skill, compassion and kindness I've received here. It's been amazing," he added.
Pooley was immediately flown in from Sierra Leone, where he contracted the disease while working with some patients in a hospital. He immediately isolated himself after started exhibiting the symptoms of the deadly virus.
He was then flown into the UK by a Royal Air Force (RAF) cargo plane, which was adjusted to shuttle someone carrying a contagious disease.
"I want to say a huge thank you to the Royal Free Hospital – I've been given world class care," he continued. "I also want to say thank you to the RAF and the British government who did such a good job with my evacuation. When I saw the plane there waiting for me with a big team of Brits I was so relieved. I wish that the level of care provided here could be provided to the people in West Africa."
Interestingly, Pooley, 29, recovered after he received the ZMapp experimental drug at the London hospital.
However, it is not yet known whether the Ebola experimental vaccine actually cures the disease. The West Africa strain of the Ebola virus has a mortality rate of about 60 percent. Thus, there could be a high probability that Pooley is one of the 40 percent of the people who have survived the virus.
Earlier, two health workers from the US (Dr Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol) had also contracted the disease in West Africa. They were flown into Atlanta, the USA, and were given the experimental vaccine. They recovered from the disease, and were discharged from the hospital last month.
The Ebola virus has killed more than 1,500 people in West Africa, according to the latest reports. The World Health Organization (WHO) says that around 20,000 people might have been affected by the virus in the region.
The US had donated a number of the ZMapp experimental vaccines to the West African countries. However, according to the US, they have not produced enough doses to completely tackle the outbreak of the disease. Hence, very few doses were actually received by the African countries, where hundreds of people are dying.
The main question in this issue seems to be that of how one dose of this vaccine made its way to the UK, where not a single case of the virus has been reported.
