A Dallas nurse who recovered from Ebola has been reunited with her dog Bentley, who has spent 21 days in quarantine.
The
King Charles Cavalier spaniel has undergone twice-daily check-ups by
vets in hazmat suits at a secret naval base while his owner, Nina Pham,
was treated for the deadly virus.
This
morning, the pair were reunited privately on Saturday at the secret
location near the Texan city where he had been isolated since she fell
ill.
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Together again! Nina Pham, 26, clutches Bentley as he is released from quarantine after 21 days
Nurse who recovered from Ebola reunited with her dog
Thankful: The former Ebola patient thanked vets for treating him as their own while she was in hospital
Private reunion: Pham traveled to the naval base this morning to retrieve Bentley from his isolation unit
Smiles: Pham posed excitedly with her 'best friend' Mr Bentley and one of the vets that cared for him
As
Pham, 26, underwent blood transfusions and hospital transfers to tackle
the deadly virus, Bentley underwent twice-daily check-ups by vets in
hazmat suits at the decommissioned naval air base near Dallas.
Tearful,
Pham said at a news conference Saturday that she was thankful for the
thoughts and prayers for 'me and Mr Bentley,' whom she called 'one of my
best friends.'
Pham was diagnosed with Ebola last month.
She contracted the virus while caring for the Liberian patient Thomas Eric Duncan, who died on October 8.
City
spokeswoman Sana Syed said on Thursday that the dog has tested negative
for Ebola and that his 21-day quarantine — the Ebola incubation period —
ends Saturday.
Pham recovered and was released October 24 from a Washington, D.C.-area hospital.
Ebola
free: Bentley, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel belonging to cured
Ebola patient Nina Pham, has been release from quarantine. Pictured
above in a snap shared by Dallas Animal Services on Thursday
Where's Nina? Pham had not been allowed to visit her dog as it could have caused Bentley to become anxious
Under
observation: Workers in hazmat suits removed Bentley from Pham's home,
and took him to a special isolation room at a nearby naval base. He has
been treated by veterinarians and other workers every day. On Thursday
he tested negative for Ebola for a third time
Pham was one of two nurses to contract Ebola after treating Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
Nurse
Amber Vinson has also been cured of the deadly disease which has
currently claimed nearly 5,000 lives, mainly in the West African nations
of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
That
leaves only one person currently being treated for Ebola in the U.S. Dr
Craig Spencer of New York is currently being treated for the disease in
an isolation wing at Manhattan's Bellevue Hospital.
He
came down the disease less than a week after returning from West Africa
where he was performing aid work with Doctors Without Borders.
Ms Pham was the first Ebola patient in the U.S. to have been in contact with a pet as she came down with the virus.
Nurse's
best friend: Pham's beloved dog has been in quarantine since just after
she admitted herself to the hospital with a high temperature
Happy:
Pham contracted the disease after volunteering to treat U.S. Ebola
patient-zero Thomas Eric Duncan. She has since recovered from the deadly
disease. Pictured above giving a hug to President Barack Obama on
October 24
While
dogs are not known to be the virus' natural carriers, it's still
unclear whether they indeed spread it to humans if they've come into
contact with someone who is infected.
In Spain, those questions caused officials to put down the dog of nurse there who became infected.
Excalibur, who belonged to Spanish nurse and Ebola patient Teresa Romero, was destroyed days after Romero was diagnosed.
The move sparked widespread outrage and mass protests in the streets of Madrid - as Romero was later cleared of the virus.
Pham's family revealed they pleaded with the district judge to let Bentley survive.
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