NIH: Ebola unit ‘not a torture chamber’
The nurse receiving care for Ebola at the National Institutes of Health is in good spirits and resting comfortably, doctors said at a press conference Friday.
“She has her iPad,” said NIH official Anthony Fauci, who is one of the doctors caring for 26-year-old Nina Pham. “This isn’t a torture chamber.”
Pham arrived at the Bethesda, Md., facility late Thursday night. She contracted Ebola while caring for the index patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died earlier this month.{mosads}
Pham is one of two Dallas healthcare workers being treated for Ebola.
She and a colleague, Amber Vinson, were both transferred away from Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital amid criticism of the hospital’s Ebola care.
Fauci said Pham is in fair condition but “good spirits.” Her mother and sister are nearby, and two nurses are always in her room, according to doctors.
“[Pham] is a trooper, she’s very brave, though it would be unrealistic to believe that someone [with Ebola] would not be worried,” Fauci said.
“This is an individual who is constantly being cared for and cheered up. Our nurses are spectacular, and they do that all the time.”
“We’ve never billed a patient for anything,” said Dr. John Gallin, director of the NIH Clinical Center, which is funded by Congress.
As the first person to contract Ebola in the United States, Pham’s case has generated significant public interest.
Crowds of people lined the streets in Dallas during her transportation to the airport, and a YouTube video showing her in her hospital bed on Thursday has received nearly 630,000 hits.
The clip, uploaded by a Texas Health physician, shows Pham sitting upright and speaking with doctors.
“Don’t cry, don’t cry,” she tells one before urging colleagues to visit her at the NIH.
“Come to Maryland, everybody,” Pham said with a short laugh. “I love you guys.”
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