An Ivorian police officer, wearing a protective mask, gestures. (Agence France-Presse)
A US patient who has asked to remain anonymous has recovered from the Ebola virus and was released from the hospital, Emory University Healthcare said on Monday.
The man was infected with Ebola while in Sierra Leone and was airlifted with the aid of the US State Department to the Atlanta, Georgia hospital on September 9.
The patient "was discharged from the hospital on October 19," the hospital said.
"In coordination with the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and Georgia Department of Public Health, the patient was determined to be free of virus and to pose no public health threat."
It added that the "patient has asked to remain anonymous and left the hospital for an undisclosed location. He will make a statement at a later date."
The man is the third US patient who has recovered from Ebola after being treated at Emory, in addition to missionaries Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol who were infected over the summer in Liberia, the hardest hit nation in West Africa's Ebola outbreak.
The epidemic has killed more than 4,500 people, mainly in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, since the beginning of the year.
Another missionary doctor, Rick Sacra, and a freelance photojournalist, Ashoka Mukpo, were treated for Ebola at Nebraska Medical Center. Sacra has recovered and Mukpo is still being cared for there.
In addition, there are two US nurses who were diagnosed with Ebola after caring for a Liberian man who died of the disease on October 8.
Nina Pham is being treated at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and Amber Vinson is being treated at Emory.
The unnamed patient was treated in Emory's Serious Communicable Disease Unit, and released a brief statement last week explaining that his recovery had been long and complicated.
"Given the national focus on Ebola, particularly with the diagnosis in two health care workers, I want to share the news that I am recovering from this disease, and that I anticipate being discharged very soon, free from the Ebola virus and able to return safely to my family and to my community," the man said in a statement on October 15, the day Vinson's infection was announced.
"As a result of the virus, my condition worsened and I became critically ill soon after I arrived at Emory," he said.
"Through rigorous medical treatment, skillful nursing, and the full support of a healthcare team, I am well on the way to a full recovery. I want the public to know that although Ebola is a serious, complex disease, it is possible to recover and return to a healthy life."
He added that he wished for his identity to remain secret for now, but may share more details in the coming weeks.