Ebola survivors turn into disease fighters as DRC outbreak rages on
Dozens of former patients are helping health workers dispel rumours about the epidemic
Dakar — Dozens of Congolese Ebola survivors are dispelling rumours and caring for patients and lone children in the world’s second deadliest outbreak, health workers said on Thursday. The virus is spreading fast in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, with 713 confirmed and probable cases and 439 deaths. It is surpassed only by the 2014-2016 outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in which more than 11,000 people died. Nearly 250 patients in the DRC have recovered since the outbreak began in July. Research has shown the disease gives survivors immunity. “I like this work very much,” said Lydie Besolo, an 18-year-old in the town of Beni who survived Ebola and now spends her afternoons after school working as a nurse in a health centre run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). “I tell [the patients] my story. It helps them,” she said, adding that she hopes to be a doctor someday. Health workers say one of the biggest challenges in this outbreak has been dispelling ...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.