A press conference with our patient William Pooley will begin at 11am at the Royal Free Hospital.

Following 10 days of successful treatment in the high level isolation unit – the only one in the UK – Mr Pooley is being discharged from the Royal Free Hospital today.

He was flown to the hospital on Sunday 24 August 2014 and was treated with the experimental drug ZMapp. His care was led by Dr Michael Jacobs, infectious diseases consultant.

The isolation unit is run by a dedicated team of doctors, nurses and laboratory staff from the Royal Free London infectious diseases service. The unit was set up at the Royal Free Hospital in 2006 and has since looked after several cases of viral haemorrhagic fever.

Access to the unit is restricted to the team of specially-trained medical staff. It is designed to ensure our medical staff can safely treat a patient with a dangerous infectious disease. A purpose-designed tent with controlled ventilation is set up around the patient’s bed and allows the staff to provide clinical care while containing the infection.

There are various facilities in place including a specific entrance for the patient, autoclaves which decontaminate waste and a dedicated laboratory for carrying out tests, all of which help to ensure the patient can be treated safely and securely. All the air leaving the unit is cleaned.