After Beating Ebola, Nurse Nina Pham Shares a Hug with the President

President Barack Obama greets Nina Pham, a Dallas nurse diagnosed with Ebola after caring for an infected patient in Texas, in the Oval Office, Oct. 24, 2014. Pham is virus-free after being treated at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Md. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

While caring for Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital earlier this month, 26-year-old nurse Nina Pham was also infected with the disease. After first being hospitalized at the Texas hospital, she was later transferred to the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland to continue treatment.

But today, 15 days after she first tested positive for Ebola, Nina was declared Ebola-free. Shortly after she left the hospital, President Obama welcomed her to the Oval Office.

At the NIH Clinical Center earlier today, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, announced that Nina was free of the disease, confirming that five separate tests showed she was free of Ebola.

"I feel fortunate and blessed to be standing here today," Nina said in brief remarks to reporters. "I would first and foremost like to thank God, my family, and friends. Throughout this ordeal, I have put my trust in God and my medical team. I am on my way back to recovery, even as I reflect on how many others have not been so fortunate."

The U.S. continues to lead a comprehensive effort to both enhance our preparedness to respond to Ebola here at home, and also combat the epidemic at its source in West Africa. Find out more details on our effort, and get answers to frequently asked questions about Ebola.

You should also see:

• The Administration's Response to Ebola
• Weekly Address: What You Need to Know About Ebola
• Here's How You Can Help with the Effort to Stop the Spread of Ebola