Dallas Nurse Nina Pham Free of Ebola

A dose of good news on Ebola to counter the bad in New York City: Dallas nurse Nina Pham is free of the virus, reports WUSA-TV. The 29-year-old was released today from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., where she had been in isolation. Pham herself appeared at a news conference with her doctors and pronounced herself "fortunate and blessed" to be healthy again, reports NBC News. She also thanked a previous Ebola survivor, Kent Brantly, for donating plasma.

“I do not know how I can ever thank everyone enough for their prayers and the expressions of concern, hope, and love," said Pham. Dr. Anthony Fauci of the NIH said it was impossible to pinpoint what led to Pham's speedy recovery. He added that she received no experimental drugs. Fellow Dallas nurse Amber Vinson also is free of the disease, according to her family. Federal health officials have yet to confirm the news about Vinson, who remains at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, notes DallasNews. Both contracted Ebola while treating patient Thomas Duncan in Texas. (Also in the clear is Pham's dog, Bentley.)