Scottish nurse out of hospital and free from Ebola

The British nurse who was on the brink of death from Ebola, left hospital tonight saying she is "happy to be alive."

Pauline Cafferkey spent almost a month in a special isolation unit in London, after the disease struck when she returned from voluntary work in Sierra Leone.

Now completely free of the virus, she paid tribute to the hospital staff who saved her life.

Rebecca Barry reports.

Prime Minister David Cameron has praised nurse Pauline Cafferkey for her bravery following her complete recovery after contracting the Ebola virus.

Mr Cameron said it was "great" seeing her look so well after her battle with the disease.

Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey said she is "happy to be alive" after being released from the Royal Free hospital and completely recovering from Ebola.

Ms Cafferkey has been speaking about her ordeal and said when she was initially told her diagnosis she was "frightened".

Scottish nurse, Pauline Cafferkey, who contracted Ebola while working in Sierra Leone has made a complete recovery and been discharged from hospital.

Pauline Cafferkey is now free of the virus after more than three weeks in hospital, where she was critically ill for a time.

She said she is "happy to be alive" and thanked staff at the Royal Free Hospital in London who she said saved her life.

Ms Cafferkey was diagnosed with Ebola after returning to Glasgow and was initially admitted to the city's Gartnavel Hospital on December 29th, then transferred to the Royal Free the following day.

The nurse, from Cambuslang in South Lanarkshire, had volunteered with Save The Children at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Kerry Town before returning to the UK.

British nurse Pauline Cafferkey, who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone, is showing signs of improvement and is no longer critically ill, the Royal Free Hospital in London said.

Officials from Public Health England and Health Protection Scotland are reviewing the UK's screening procedures for Ebola.

The review comes after it emerged nurse Pauline Cafferkey, who is being treated in a London hospital for the illness, had been cleared to fly from London to Glasgow despite her temperature being checked seven times after she landed at Heathrow.

Ms Cafferkey was admitted to an isolation facility at Glasgow's Gartnavel Hospital on 29th December.

After a blood sample tested positive for Ebola, she was transferred by military plane to the Royal Free Hospital the following day. Her condition deteriorated in the new year and remains critical.

The family of Pauline Cafferkey say they have been "very touched" by the support of the public after the nurse contracted Ebola.

The Scottish nurse may be in a critical condition for "some time", the family added.

Yesterday, an Ebola survivor told ITV News that she owes her life to Ms Cafferkey after she was treated by the nurse at a clinic in Sierra Leone.

Pauline Cafferkey, who is being treated in a London hospital after contracting Ebola in Sierra Leone, could remain in a critical condition for "some time", her family has said.

The British nurse being treated for Ebola in a London hospital remains in a critical condition but she has stabilised, Jeremy Hunt told the House of Commons this afternoon.

Pauline Cafferkey, a Scottish public health nurse, continues to receive the "best possible care" at the Royal Free Hospital in north London, the Health Secretary said after speaking to Dr Mike Jacobs, an expert in infectious diseases who is leading the team caring for Ms Cafferkey.