Cuban doctor returns home after being cured of Ebola

Cuban doctor Felix Baez Sarria, who contracted Ebola while on an aid mission in Sierra Leona, second from right, smiles as he poses for photos with his wife Vania Ferre, son Alejandro Felix, left, and Dr. Jorge Perez upon arrival to Havana, Cuba, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014. Baez, 43, is among 165 Cuban medical personnel sent to Sierra Leone to fight the disease. He showed symptoms of Ebola on Nov. 16 and was brought to Switzerland for treatment with the experimental drug ZMapp. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, Pool)

A Cuban doctor successfully treated for Ebola at a Swiss hospital returned home Saturday and was greeted by his family.

Felix Baez Sarria contracted Ebola while working with a Cuban government medical team in Sierra Leone and was flown to Geneva for treatment Nov. 20.

In a brief meeting with journalists at Havana's international airport, Baez said that he and his colleagues in Africa are committed to fighting the Ebola outbreak.

"I will return there to finish what I started," said the doctor, who was welcomed home by his wife and two sons.

The Geneva University Hospital said Saturday that tests this week showed Baez was cured.

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The chief medical officer of Geneva canton (state), Jacques-Andre Romand, said in a statement that "the total recovery of the patient, confirmed by thorough laboratory tests, now allows him to leave the country and travel with no risk of contagion."

Baez was infected when he rushed to help a patient who was falling over.

Cuba has sent more than 250 medical personnel to several countries in West Africa to join in efforts to contain the epidemic.

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