U.S. doctor with Ebola hopes to leave Atlanta hospital soon

By Colleen Jenkins WINSTON-SALEM N.C. (Reuters) - The Texas doctor being treated for Ebola said on Friday that he was "recovering in every way" at an Atlanta hospital and hoped to be released soon. Kent Brantly, 33, was one of two U.S. aid workers who were infected with the deadly virus in Liberia and evacuated earlier this month for treatment at Emory University's hospital as their health declined. Brantly said he still faced "a few hurdles" before he could be discharged from the isolation unit where he is being treated, although he gave no other details. "I am more grateful every day to the Lord for sparing my life and continuing to heal my body," Brantly said in a statement released by North Carolina-based Samaritan's Purse, the Christian relief group he worked for in West Africa. "I hold on to the hope of a sweet reunion with my wife, children and family in the near future," he said. A spokesman for the organization had no further information on Friday as to when Brantly might go home. Nancy Writebol, a 59-year-old missionary from Charlotte, North Carolina, also remains hospitalized in Atlanta. Her son said in an interview this week that she, too, was getting better and that doctors felt optimistic about her recovery. The Ebola outbreak in four West African nations has killed more than 1,100 people and could take six months to get under control, government and health providers in the region said on Friday. "Please continue to pray for and bring attention to those suffering in the ongoing Ebola crisis in West Africa," Brantly said. "Their fight is far from over." (Reporting by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Susan Heavey)