A story of Ebola survival and return
The past two months have been an ordeal for 25-year-old Tigidankay Bah of Kenema City, Sierra Leone. At the end of August her fiancé fell sick with Ebola and died of the disease. Some days later Tigidankay herself became ill and was admitted to the Ebola Treatment Centre at Kenema Government Hospital.
“Many of the survivors are discharged with the so-called Post-Ebola Syndrome. This is a new area for research; little is known about the post Ebola symptoms.”
Maggie Nanyonga, WHO consultant in Sierra Leone
“Except for the period of the Ose to Ose Ebola Tok Campaign, when all movement was restricted, her father came to the hospital every single day to enquire after his daughter,” say Gladys Gasamma, a Psychosocial Support Officer in the District Health Management Team (DHMT). Against all the odds, Tigidankay survived Ebola. After 3 weeks in the hospital, she was discharged and was looking forward to going home.
Community fears about her return
On returning to her family and her community, Tigidankay found an unpleasant reality. Although many people welcomed her, there were as many in her community who didn't want her among them.
“They were hostile. They harassed me and humiliated me,” she says.
People are often fearful of returning Ebola survivors, some believing that they are infectious and others attributing their survival to supernatural powers . After some days, a crisis arose and, in desperation, Tigidankay called for help from the healthcare workers of the community surveillance team. The team went to her aid at once and mediated on her behalf, explaining that she was not an infection risk to them.
Post-Ebola Syndrome
Tigidankay’s problems are not over, though. As well as having some lingering problems with acceptance by some members of her community, she also suffers from physical health problems after her illness. She complains of heart palpitations that are sometimes so bad they frighten her.
Maggie Nanyonga, a consultant for the World Health Organization (WHO), is assessing the ongoing healthcare needs of Ebola survivors in Kenema. “Many of the survivors are discharged with the so-called Post-Ebola Syndrome,” says Maggie. “We want to ascertain whether these medical conditions are due to the disease itself, the treatment given or chlorine used during disinfection of the patients. This is a new area for research; little is known about the post Ebola symptoms.”
WHO is supporting the establishment of a dedicated Ebola Survivors Clinic. All Ebola survivors in the Kenema District were invited to Kenema Government Hospital for interviews with healthcare workers. Tigidankay was one of more than 100 survivors who took part in this assessment.
The survivors have found renewed strength and support in each other’s company. So much so that they have formed a self-help association, the Ebola Survivors Union (ESU), to assist each other and advocate for them. The inaugural meeting was held 18 October amid great excitement.
TDR Scientist Andy Ramsay is one of many WHO staff who have volunteered to help with the Ebola outbreak. He has been with the Ebola Outbreak Response Team in Sierra Leone, where he is the WHO Field Coordinator for Kenema District and co-chairs the District Task Force for the Ebola Response and the Emergency Operations Centre for Kenema District. He helped to document these issues and says, “This type of survivor support will become increasingly important as communities come to terms with the aftermath of this epidemic.”
Kenema District has just reported its first week with zero confirmed Ebola cases, and no confirmed cases for 9 days. Kenema City (the only significant urbanized area in the district) has been without a confirmed case for 19 days. The epidemic began in early June.
For more information, contact Jamie Guth (guthj@who.int)