Survey among survivors of the 1995 Ebola epidemic in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo: their feelings and experiences
Open Access
- 1 November 1998
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Tropical Medicine & International Health
- Vol. 3 (11), 883-885
- https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3156.1998.00322.x
Abstract
Summary This study describes experiences of the survivors of the 1995 Ebola epidemic in Kikwit, Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of the survivors in our sample had cared for a sick family member before becoming ill themselves, and most had never heard of Ebola before they developed symptoms and therefore did not suspect that they were infected by the virus. Fear, denial and shame were their principal initial feelings. After release from hospital, survivors were abandoned by family or friends more often than they had expected. Belief in god was an important aid to all of them. Their most negative experiences were witnessing other people dying in the isolation ward of the Kikwit General Hospital, and the reluctance of hospital personnel to treat them. During Ebola outbreaks more attention should be given to the psychosocial implications of such an epidemic. Information campaigns should include antidiscrimination messages and more psychosocial support should be given to patients and their families.Keywords
This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:
- International Colloquium on Ebola Virus Research: Summary ReportThe Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1997
- Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Kikwit, ZaireThe Lancet, 1995
- Stigmatization and AIDS: Critical issues in public healthSocial Science & Medicine (1982), 1994
- Stigmatization, scapegoating and discrimination in sexually transmitted diseases: Overcoming ‘them’ and ‘us’Social Science & Medicine (1982), 1994
- Public Health and the Civilizing ProcessThe Milbank Quarterly, 1986