Korean medial worker confirmed free of Ebola virus

A South Korean medial worker suspected of contracting the Ebola virus was discharged from a hospital in Germany on Monday after being confirmed clean, Seoul's foreign ministry said.

The unidentified medical staff, one member of Seoul's 10-strong medical team, had been under intensive monitoring in a Berlin hospital since Jan. 4 after the worker's index finger came in contact with a needle while collecting blood from an Ebola patient in Sierra Leone.

"The worker was released from the hospital after showing no symptoms of infection during the three-week incubation period for Ebola," a ministry official said.

The Seoul government will provide necessary support to help the medical staff return home safely, he added.

South Korea said it will push ahead with its initial plan to send a total of 30 medical workers to Sierra Leone. 

The first team has been working there since late December and the second batch left Seoul on Jan. 10 for a mission with the remainder to follow suit early next month.

South Korea has joined global efforts to fight Ebola by sending medical workers and offering a combined US$12.6 million in assistance. The virus is estimated to have killed more than 8,000 people since December 2013, according to the World Health Organization. (Yonhap)