Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola cured, walks out of hospital + Update on the Vaccine

Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola cured, walks out of hospital by Reuters
Dallas nurse who contracted Ebola cured, walks out of hospital by Reuters

The Dallas nurse being treated for Ebola at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md., is free of the virus and was discharged on Friday, the NIH says. Nina Pham appeared outside the hospital shortly before noon on Friday at a briefing on her treatment, saying, "I feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today." Surrounded by family members and the doctors who treated her, Pham thanked Dr. Kent Brantly "for his selfless act" of donating plasma during treatment. Brantly is the American physician who contracted Ebola while working with a nonprofit medical mission group in Liberia. He was flown to Atlanta for treatment in August and has recovered. "I believe in the power of prayer because I know so many people all over the world have been praying for me," Pham said in a short statement as she stood at a podium, with the din of camera shutters clicking. "Although I no longer have Ebola, I know that it may be a while before I have my strength back." Nurse Nina Pham, 26, of Dallas with her Cavalier KingNurse Nina Pham, 26, of Dallas with her Cavalier King Charles spaniel named Bentley. Pham contracted Ebola after she treated a patient with Ebola in Dallas. (Photo: Pham family) Fullscreen

Nurse Nina Pham, 26, of Dallas with her Cavalier King President Obama hugs Pham in the Oval Office of the President Barack Obama meets with Ebola survivor Nina President Obama meets with Ebola survivor Nina Pham Pham is escorted by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of Patient Nina Pham, center, with her mother Diana Pham, Nina Pham hugs Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital workers react while This frame grab from a video courtesy of Texas Health Nina Pham lies in her hospital bed on Oct. 16 at Texas Pham's dog Bentley, a King Charles Spaniel, was quarantined One of Bentley's caretakers collects a sample from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas staff line A Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas staff carries Pham is helped out of the back of an ambulance on the Medical staff in protective gear escort Pham, in yellow, The airplane carrying Pham takes off from Love Field Onlookers wait to see a convoy carrying Pham after A healthcare worker wears a sticker that reads "I am Pham is shown in this 2010 photo from the Texas Christian Next Slide She asked for media to honor her privacy while she recovers in Dallas. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Alergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters flatly, "She has no virus." Fauci took the opportunity to remind the public that Ebola is not easily passed from person to person. "The way you get Ebola is by direct contact with the body fluids of an ill individual," he said. "And if you don't have that, you do not have to worry about Ebola." He said the public "must separate the issue of the risk to a general public with the risk with brave people like Nina and her colleagues — they're two different things." President Obama met with Pham in the Oval office on Friday afternoon, after the White House contacted the NIH in order to let Pham know "that the president was interested in meeting her if she felt up to it," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said. Pham's treatment of the Ebola patient and her recovery is a tribute to both her and the medical profession, he said. "We do have the best medical infrastructure in the world." The meeting was closed to reporters, but still photographers were permitted to watch as Obama greeted Pham and embraced her. Pham, 26, was admitted to the NIH hospital on Oct. 16. She was diagnosed with Ebola earlier this month after treating Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital. She was initially treated at the Dallas hospital. Her dog, Bentley, has been quarantined since she got sick, but his test results came back negative for the virus earlier this week.

WHO expects Ebola vaccine to be in use by January 2015 by euronews (in English)

"Blood moon" eclipse turns eyes to the sky

"Blood moon" eclipse turns eyes to the sky by Reuters

Timelapse video from NASA shows a total lunar eclipse seen from Los Angeles, Wednesday morning (October 8) -- also known as a "blood moon" due to the coppery, reddish color the moon takes as it passes into Earth's shadow. It reached totality just before sunrise. The lunar eclipse was the second of four over a two-year period that began April 15 and concludes on Sept. 28, 2015. The so-called tetrad is unusual because the full eclipses are visible in all or parts of the United States, according to retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak. The blood moon was visible to skywatchers in North America, Australia, western South America and parts of East Asia.

Passengers from Ebola-hit countries to be screened at five U.S. airports

Passengers from Ebola-hit countries to be screened at five U.S. airports by Reuters

The United States will begin screening passengers arriving at U.S. airports from West Africa for fever starting this weekend, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in the hope of avoiding an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the United States. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the five airports include Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. "These five airports, as you may know, are the destination for 94 percent of individuals who travel to the United States from the three countries that are currently affected by Ebola," Earnest told reporters at the White House press briefing. In the screening, authorities will use a non-invasive device to take the temperature of passengers and ask them to fill out a questionnaire created by the U.S. Centers

5 Filipinos Burnt to Death in Qatar Car Crash

Five Filipinos were reportedly burnt to death when their car was hit by another vehicle and caught fire near Doha’s Hamad International Airport (HIA) on the Corniche-Wakrah highway yesterday, a report from Gulf Times said. Sources said 

Hamad International Airport 
Photo credit: www.anna.aero

incident took place between 12:30 and 1pm. Apart from the five fatalities, a Filipina co-passenger was also seriously injured. While the Traffic Department confirmed the deceased were Filipino expatriates, their names were not immediately known. Unconfirmed reports say that one of those killed in the accident was a young child. The other vehicle in the road mishap was reportedly driven by a young national who escaped only with minor injuries. A Philippine embassy official, who visited the Hamad hospital mortuary, told Gulf Times that all bodies had been charred beyond recognition. “The bodies have so badly been burnt that even the gender of the deceased could not be verified. Forensic examination would be required to identify the victims,” he said.

It was also not known whether the victims were going to the airport to see off somebody or to receive someone.Soon after the accident, the authorities deployed several police personnel and more than 15 vehicles at the site for relief operations, inquiries found.

Sources at the Hamad Hospital said the mortuary has received five bodies, all victims of an accident from "somewhere" near the HIA.

In the wee hours on Sunday, a Qatari national and two others were killed when two cars collided near the Halul Cafe, opposite the new museum under construction, along Corniche. A Bahraini and Iranian were the other victims.