Ebola survivors were discharged from a treatment centre in Beni, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Saturday, offering a moment of hope as the country’s deadly Bundibugyo virus outbreak continues to spread.
Footage shows medical staff announcing the names of recovered patients, while healthcare workers are also seen caring for and feeding a newborn baby.
Eremie Katsavara, a physician in charge of Ebola patient care, said publicly presenting survivors was intended to show communities that people can recover from Ebola and encourage anyone with symptoms to seek treatment as early as possible.
“Today, whenever we have people who have recovered from Ebola, we present them publicly. By doing this, we show the community that Ebola is a disease. It is true that, like other diseases, people can recover from Ebola, but only on the condition that they agree to seek quality treatment early,” the health worker noted, adding, “We are making a strong appeal to the community to continue trusting us and to come out of hiding.”
Medical teams stressed that early detection and treatment remain critical to improving patients’ chances of survival and limiting transmission.
“There are still efforts that need to be made within the community. This means detecting cases early in the community. That is what determines the prognosis, or ultimately the outcome for patients,” the health worker explained.
“The survivors you have just seen presented here <…> are people who quickly understood that the disease exists and who cooperated with all the measures taken as part of the response,” he added.
Kavira Mwinga Irene, Ebola survivor, said that people ‘need to know that Ebola exists and, above all, avoid spreading rumours, because I have seen people die’. “I don’t even know how to count the number of deaths. If you arrive early, you recover, but if you arrive late, you die. That’s what I experienced,” the woman added.
As of September 23, the DRC had recorded 7,890 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo virus disease and 3,799 deaths, giving a case fatality ratio of about 48 per cent. A total of 1,966 patients had recovered.
The outbreak had reached 63 health zones across seven provinces. Ituri remained the most affected province, while North Kivu, where Beni is located, had recorded cases in 16 of its 34 health zones.
Source: Viory
