The American doctor struck by the deadly Ebola virus while treating patients in Liberia issued a statement saying he’s finally recovering at his isolation room at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.
Recall that Dr. Kent Brantly, 33, who works as a medical doctor for international aid organization Samaritan’s Purse, contracted the Ebola disease, alongside nurse assistant Nancy Writebol of the U.S. mission group SIM. They are the very first cases with the disease being treated in the U.S. soil.
“I am growing stronger every day, and I thank God for His mercy as I have wrestled with this terrible disease,” said Dr. Brantly in the org’s official website.
His wife Amber also issued a statement to the organization’s website last week.
“I have been able to see Kent every day, and he continues to improve. I am thankful for the professionalism and kindness of Dr. Ribner and his team at Emory University Hospital. I know that Kent is receiving the very best medical treatment available,” she said.
Dr. Brantly recalled the day he began to feel sick and immediately isolated himself till the test result confirmed his diagnosis three days thereafter.
“When the result was positive, I remember a deep sense of peace that was beyond all understanding. God was reminding me of what He had taught me years ago, that He will give me everything I need to be faithful to Him,” said Brantly.
He also recalled the countless of individuals who passed away because of the disease, adding that he can still remember each of their faces and names.
Dr. Brantly was flown out of Africa to the U.S. over a week ago for further medical treatment, while Writebol came days after. Writebol is also being treated at the same hospital.
They were provided with ZMapp, an experimental drug treatment, said further research. Mapp Biopharmaceutical in San Diego developed the said Ebola treatment drug, whose long-term impacts and toxicity remain unknown.
Two weeks later, while he said he is in an entirely different setting now, his focus remains unchanged and that is “to follow God.”
Various reports said Ebola already resulted to 961 deaths out of 1,779 cases in Nigeria, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone since it started in March this year.
Though the American missionaries have been putting their lives at stake to save others, one commentator, Ann Coulter, wasn’t happy about it, criticizing them for trying to be “heroic” in West Africa instead of staying the U.S.
Dr. Brantly, however, clarified that he and his family moved to Liberia not for the sole purpose of fighting the disease, but because they believed it was God’s calling to serve Him at the ELWA hospital. Then when Ebola extended to Liberia, his usual work at the hospital became more of treating the growing number of patients hit by the virus.
Gathered reports said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deployed 31 staff members in West Africa to help control the outbreak and will send 50 more in the days to come.
“The bottom line with Ebola is we know how to stop it: traditional public health. Find patients, isolate and care for them; find their contacts; educate people; and strictly follow infection control in hospitals. Do those things with meticulous care and Ebola goes away,” CDC director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. said in a statement. “We will save lives in West Africa and protect ourselves at home by stopping Ebola at the source.”
