The Spanish nursing assistant who was the first person infected with Ebola outside West Africa has been given the all clear, after tests to ascertain whether she still had the virus were negative. A second negative test will be required to absolutely confirm her recovery, the Telegraph has reported.
Teresa Romero, 44, was treating two patients who had travelled from Liberia at a Madrid hospital when she contracted the deadly virus two weeks ago. Miguel Pajares and Manuel Garcia Viejo, the two patients to be treated, died within a month of each other at the hospital in Madrid.
On 6 October Romero tested positive for the virus and was hospitalised. Her husband, a hairdresser, another nurse and a cleaner who had had contact with Romero were all placed in quarantine, whilst her dog Excalibur was put down rather than being quarantined, drawing heavy criticism from animal rights groups.
On Sunday, the Spanish government Ebola crisis committee released a statement announcing that Romero’s immune system had eliminated the virus from her body. Manuel Cuenca, microbiology director at Madrid’s Carlos III health care complex has said that a further test will be needed to absolutely confirm the results.
The news comes amid an announcement that Spain has allowed the US to use two military bases, at Moron de la Frontera near Seville, and the naval station at Rota on the Atlantic coast, in their efforts to combat the virus. Both personnel and materials will be transported via the bases to West Africa. The bases are also allowed to be used in the efforts against ISIS.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama was said to be “furious” on Sunday over the handling of the Ebola crisis in the United States. The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been heavily criticised for not properly training staff at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas, who discharged a man who presented with Ebola symptoms after travelling from Liberia, allowing him to come into contact with other people.
The man, Tomas Eric Duncan, aged 42, subsequently died from the virus and infected two nurses at the hospital, Nina Pham, 26 and Amber Vinson, 29.
The CDC drew further criticism for allowing Miss Vinson to board a flight from Dallas to Cleveland, Ohio, and for allowing a lab technician who had handled samples from Mr Duncan to board a cruise ship sailing around the Caribbean, although she was subsequently given the all-clear.
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