Ebola is not a death sentence. There are survivors of Ebola in Africa and 99% of them did not take the US drug ZMapp. Here is a story of a young African boy who survived. Source: MSF When Mamadee was firstly admitted on 15 August, he tested negative for Ebola and was discharged. Staying overnight in the guesthouse as his village Sarkonedu was too far to travel to, he developed some signs and was readmitted the next day. He was displaying symptoms of nausea, fever, muscle pain, intense fatigue, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. “He was a clear Ebola patient,” says Dr. Roberta Petrucci. “Only the jaundice made us doubt.” The doctors treated him with multivitamins, paracetamol, oral rehydration solution, antibiotics and with antimalarial pills, as Mamadee had also tested positive for malaria. On 20 August, the second Ebola test result returned and it was as expected – positive. The only thing that didn’t fit into the picture was that young Mamadee in the meantime was already feeling good and running around. “We couldn’t believe it,” says Dr. Petrucci. “We thought it must have been a mistake.” When the medical staff took another blood test a few days later, they realised that there had been no mistake. Mamadee still tested positive. “The lab normally doesn’t make mistakes,” Dr. Petrucci continued. “And especially twice in a row with the same patient.” So, even though Mamadee was everything but symptomatic, he could theoretically infect others. “We had no other choice other than to keep him in the CMC as the result was still positive,” she says. Surrounded by sick patients, Mamadee was the entertainment. He spent his days sleeping, eating, chatting to the other patients – and of course dancing. He was able to turn anything into a toy, be it a slip of paper, a soft drink can or a water sachet. Read more here msf.org/article/liberia-boy-who-tricked-ebola
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 15:06:57 +0000
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