Friends, family, loved ones, and entire communities are seemingly turning their backs on individuals who have survived the Ebola virus. A special report from the Associated Press took a look at some of these people, and their struggles upon returning to the outside world.
“Ebola has ruined my life even though I am cured,” said 26-year-old Guinean medical school student Kadiatou Fanta. “No one wants to spend a minute in my company for fear of being contaminated.” Fanta told AP that even as she is no longer feverish and vomiting blood, even as she has been issued a clean bill of health, it has gotten so bad that her professors no longer allow her to attend classes. “Her boyfriend has broken up with her… Even her own family members are afraid to touch her months after she survived Ebola,” continued the report.
Another young Ebola survivor also related his tale to AP, describing how some members of his community are hesitant to come in physical contact with him, and how he “hid” from family members when he realized he was sick. “When I became sick, I was scared to go to hospital, I hid from my family, from health workers,” said Sierra Leone native Sulaiman Kemokai, 20 years old. “After four days I couldn’t hide anymore, I was too sick. An Ebola ambulance collected me and took me to the hospital.” He does, however, have some support from family, as two siblings are also Ebola survivors; their mother, unfortunately, was killed by the virus.
As of the most recent count from the World Health Organization, the West African Ebola outbreak has killed over 1,000 people. However, survival rates have improved dramatically in the current outbreak, with health officials claiming up to 50 percent of victims have survived, as opposed to a 90 percent fatality rate in previous outbreaks.