Texas nurse declared Ebola-free: family

WASHINGTON - A Texas nurse infected with Ebola after caring for a Liberian man who died from the disease no longer has the virus, her family said Wednesday.

A statement from Amber Vinson's family cited by several US media outlets said the 29-year-old would stay in hospital for further treatment but appeared to have eradicated the disease.

"Amber and our family are ecstatic to receive this latest report on her condition," her mother Debra Barry said in the statement.

"We all know that further treatment will be necessary as Amber continues to regain strength, but these latest developments have truly answered prayers and bring our family one step closer to reuniting with her at home."

Vinson is to be transferred to a different unit at Emory University Hospital and is still being treated in the serious communicable diseases unit, her family said.

She was the second of two nurses diagnosed with Ebola after caring for Thomas Eric Duncan, who succumbed to the disease at Texas Presbyterian Hospital.

Vinson's case sparked alarm after it emerged she had taken a commercial flight to Ohio after caring for Duncan before being diagnosed with the deadly disease.

Another nurse from Texas Presbyterian Hospital, Nina Pham, remains in a stable condition at the National Institutes of Health clinic in Maryland.

President Barack Obama meanwhile called staff at Texas Presbyterian on Wednesday to thank them for their "courage and perseverance" in helping to combat the disease, a White House statement said.

The President conveyed his thoughts and prayers to their two colleagues who were infected with Ebola and wished them a speedy recovery," the statement said.

More than 4,800 people have died from Ebola - the deadliest ever outbreak of the disease - most in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.