Ebola In US Cured, Craig Spencer Released From Hospital, America All Clear [Video]

Ebola patient Craig Spencer was released Tuesday from the hospital, cured. “Today, I am healthy and no longer infectious,” he said at a news conference at the New York hospital attended by his parents and more than two dozen nurses, doctors and support staff.

As was reported previously by the Inquisitr, you may not have heard that Dallas — the epicenter of the Ebola “outbreak” in the U.S. — was declared Ebola free last week, or that Kaci Hickox, the healthy nurse who rose to fame by fighting her state-mandated quarantine, crossed the 21-day monitoring threshold on Monday night without further incident.

For Dr. Craig Spencer, he could only give praise to how effective the protocols in place were for helping his case be detected and cured.

“My early detection, reporting, and now recovery from Ebola. speak to the effectiveness of the protocols that are in place for health staff returning for West Africa.”

Spencer was the last of four who were infected by Ebola in the United States. He and the two Dallas nurses have all lived through an Ebola infection. The three made a good case that quick detection and treatment of Ebola can make this disease less deadly. With the release of Spencer, the U.S. is all clear of infected cases, but there are still some, like Spencer’s fiancee, who are still being quarantined or monitored.

His fiancee, Morgan Dixon, was removed Tuesday from quarantine at their West Harlem apartment but will be monitored by health officials until Friday. She has shown no symptoms of Ebola, officials said.

During the news conference, Spencer wanted to redirect attention away from him toward those who need much more help, the people of Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, the epicenter of the Ebola epidemic. His infection is “but a fraction” of the 13,000 reported cases in West Africa that “is destroying communities.”

“Please join me in turning our attention back to West Africa. In ensuring that medical volunteers and other aid workers do not face stigma and threats upon their return home. Volunteers need to be supported to help fight this outbreak at its source.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who has encouraged healthcare workers to fight Ebola abroad and defended those stigmatized upon their return, pulled Spencer into a hearty hug. Spencer also hugged several doctors and nurses who treated him and embraced the city’s first lady, Chirlane McCray.

America being all clear of infected cases has shown that the protocols in place, though not supported by some, can be effective in treating the disease. Craig Spencer and the two Dallas nurses have all lived through Ebola. If medical staff and volunteers heed Spencer’s encouragement to help in Africa, maybe there too could be an increase of survival from the disease.