WHO chief says five Ebola patients recover in DR Congo
Five patients have recovered from a rare strain of the Ebola virus, the head of the World Health Organization said during a visit to Bunia in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is at the center of the outbreak.
“Four people will be discharged today and one person was discharged the day before,” WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during the opening of a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province. he said.
“Of course, we are working on vaccines and treatments, but that doesn’t mean people can’t recover from Ebola,” he added.
A patient has recovered from Bundibugyo virus, the current strain of Ebola for which there is no approved treatment or vaccine, the WHO said on Friday.
This was the first documented recovery of a confirmed Bundibugyo patient during the current outbreak.
Authorities reported 134 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda as of May 29, including 18 confirmed deaths, the health organization said.
Baraka Bulambulu, one of the recoveries, told The Associated Press on Sunday that community members were afraid of contracting an unknown disease from them and kept their distance while distributing food and medicine.
He said the uncertainty was so great that he and other patients believed they could die without knowing what disease they had, even though tests eventually confirmed Ebola.
“It is a great source of happiness to be able to get out of this situation alive,” Bulambulu said.
“Many people in the same situation died.”
Nurse Ezo Étienne said her symptoms began when she suddenly felt dizzy during ward checks, then quickly worsened into vomiting, intense itching, severe diarrhea and extreme weakness.
He was tested seven times before Ebola was confirmed.
His treatment was directed solely to treating the symptoms: medications to control vomiting, fluids to prevent dehydration, and painkillers.
“That was all they could provide,” he said.
He urged the public and healthcare workers not to dismiss early symptoms such as vomiting and headaches, warning that misinformation leads many people to believe they have been poisoned rather than seeking hospital care.
The dangers faced by healthcare workers have been exacerbated by anger among residents over strict medical protocols for handling victims’ bodies, which conflict with local burial rites.
Residents carried out at least three attacks on health centres.
Tedros emphasized the importance of involving the community in the outbreak response during the opening of the new treatment center on Sunday.
“If you come to health facilities when you have symptoms, you can get support and recover, so the important thing is to come as early as possible and get the necessary support,” the WHO chief said.
“We can stop this Ebola and everyone who has it can recover. But the rule is that it is everyone’s business and every citizen should be involved,” he added.
