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Ebola Survivors Face Hardships, But New Programs Help

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LIVE SCIENCE  by Rachel Rettner                                                                                  Dec. 12, 2014

Ebola survivors in West Africa are often shunned by their communities, and they have few possessions because many of their personal belongings are destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading.

But several organizations are working to help Ebola survivors make the transition back into their communities — for example, by providing them with bedding and other basic items, and speaking with community members to reduce the stigma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Survivors are thought to be immune to the strain of Ebola causing the current outbreak, and many now work as caregivers for those with Ebola, the report said.

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http://www.livescience.com/49110-ebola-survivor-support.html

A 2014 photograph of a West African Ebola treatment cente. Credit CDC

 


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CDC Reports: Support Services for Survivors of Ebola Virus Disease — Sierra Leone

(Two reports, scroll down )                                                                                                        Dec. 12, 2014   

" ...Survivors showed great interest in contributing to the Ebola response through activities like sharing their stories directly with their community, with Ebola patients currently receiving care, or with a larger audience through radio and other broadcast media. They also expressed interest in participating in Ebola care and treatment support and direct care, and providing moral support to other Ebola patients to give them hope. Many indicated that supporting themselves with this work would help restore their own dignity....

".... Survivors emphasized the critical need for comprehensive discharge counseling and the provision of a packet of materials, including clothing and cash for transportation, as well as facilitation of reentry into the community by professional psychosocial support counselors....

See full CDC report 
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm63e1212a1.htm?s_cid=mm63e1212a1_w#.VI8R4KakMKQ.twitter

CDC report on Firestone plantation survivors

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm63e1212a2.htm?s_cid=mm63e1212a2_w

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