"His two-year-old daughter died first, then his mother, then his wife. But Bope Mpona Heritier still had no idea what illness had taken their lives. Then the 25-year-old also began to develop symptoms. When his blood was tested and sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo's capital, Kinshasa, the results confirmed he had the Ebola virus. I felt pain everywhere, he says. I had a migraine, a sharp pain in my eyes and throat, and I was vomiting."
"No one in Bulape could have imagined that a deadly virus such as Ebola would reach their remote area in Kasai province. But on 4 September this year, the health ministry declared an outbreak there, the country's 16th. Ten days later, 35 confirmed cases were reported, including 16 deaths some among health workers. A coordinated effort involving multiple agencies worked around the clock to contain it. Now, healthcare workers and Bulape's residents are hoping they are well on the way to getting the all-clear."
Bope Mpona Heritier lost his two-year-old daughter, his mother and his wife before he developed symptoms and tested positive for Ebola in Kinshasa. He experienced severe pain, migraine, eye and throat pain, vomiting and loss of appetite with significant weight loss. The outbreak was declared in Kasai province on 4 September, the DRC's 16th, and within ten days there were 35 confirmed cases and 16 deaths, including health workers. A multi-agency coordinated response worked to contain transmission, and the last patient left hospital on 19 October, starting a 42-day countdown to a possible declaration that the outbreak is over. Stigma against survivors and the disease's high fatality if untreated remain challenges.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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