Two Americans infected with Ebola and evacuated to the United States have been released after what doctors are cautiously calling successful treatment. 

Dr. Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol have been cured of the Ebola virus and released from Emory Hospital in Atlanta after their admissions in early August. Both were treated with the experimental drug ZMapp. 

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"After a rigorous course of treatment and testing we have determined, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and state health departments, that (Brantley) has recovered from the Ebola Virus Disease and he can return to his family, to his community, and to his life without any public health concerns," Dr. Bruce Ribner, director of Emory's Infectious Disease Unit, said today. 

"I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and reunited with my family," Brantly said, adding that, "God saved my life."

Brantly, 33, was the first human to receive ZMapp therapy. Believed to have become infected on July 23, the doctor deteriorated so quickly that the serum was administered on-site in Africa over the usual protocols in a final attempt to save his life. 

While the Ebola mortality rate has been widely publicized, the disease can be cured if caught early enough and with proper care. Hydration therapy has shown significant, though, limited success, but the efficiency of ZMapp leads health organizations to hope the viral outbreak ravaging the African nations of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria can be brought under control. The virus has killed at least 1,229 and sickened 1,011 more, according to statistics released on Tuesday by the World Health Organization. 

Doctors describe Writebol, 59, as cured but severely weakened. Brantly said she asked him to speak on her behalf. 

Confirmed cases of the Ebola virus are contained thus far to Africa, but officials in the Southeast Asian countries of Myanmar and Thailand report several people who spent time in the hot zone are under observation. 

TagsEbola Virus, Ebola cured