William Pooley, the patient treated at the Royal Free Hospital for the Ebola virus, has been discharged from the hospital.

Mr Pooley was treated successfully in the high level isolation unit – the only one in the UK – and received the experimental drug ZMapp. It’s not known if this contributed to his recovery. His care was led by Dr Michael Jacobs, infectious diseases consultant.

Mr Pooley said: “I want to say a huge thank you to the Royal Free Hospital – I’ve been given world class care. I also want to say thank you to the RAF and the British government who did such a good job with my evacuation.

“When I saw the plane there waiting for me with a big team of Brits I was so relieved. I wish that the level of care provided here could be provided to the people in West Africa.

“I was very lucky in several ways. The standard of care I received was a world apart from what people are getting in West Africa, despite the best efforts of the healthcare workers out there. I've got friends who are sick at the moment and there is such a contrast. I've got nothing but praise for the level of care, skill, compassion and kindness I've received here. It's been amazing.”

Dr Jacobs said that Mr Pooley had made a complete recovery from Ebola and there was no infection risk to the public.

“Everyone in the team has worked exhaustively to care for Will and I am extremely proud of my colleagues at the hospital,” added Dr Jacobs.

The isolation unit is run by a dedicated team of doctors, nurses and laboratory staff from the Royal Free London infectious diseases service. It 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.

Watch the press conference with William Pooley

Footage courtesy of the BBC.

Watch the BBC news coverage from Wednesday 3 September 2014

Footage courtesy of the BBC.