Ebola nurse no longer critical

Ebola nurse no longer critical

Anton McNulty

Achill relatives of Scottish Ebola nurse, Pauline Cafferkey, received some good news yesterday (Monday) when her hospital released a statement saying she was no longer critically ill. London’s Royal Free Hospital said Ms Cafferkey was ‘showing signs of improvement’.
The news will come as welcome relief for her cousins and relations on Achill Island, who have been praying for her recovery since she was diagnosed with Ebola at the end of December after returning from Sierra Leone.
Ms Cafferkey’s late grandfather, Anthony Cafferkey, was a native of Bunnacurry, Achill, before he emigrated to Scotland in his teenage years. Her father, Michael, is a regular visitor to Ireland and was last in Achill two years ago, where he met up with his cousins and relatives.
Ms Cafferkey (39), a public health nurse from Glasgow, had volunteered with other UK NHS staff for the charity Save the Children in West Africa.
The full statement from the hospital said: “The Royal Free Hospital is pleased to announce that Pauline Cafferkey is showing signs of improvement and is no longer critically ill. She remains in isolation, as she receives specialist care for the Ebola virus.”
Ms Cafferkey has been treated with experimental drugs and has received blood plasma from another British nurse, Will Pooley, who recovered from an Ebola infection last year