Ebola survivors suffer severe mental problems

LONDON. — People who survive the deadly Ebola virus can continue to suffer severe psychiatric and neurological problems including depression, debilitating migraines, nerve pain and stroke, according to a study published yesterday.

Researchers who analysed patients infected during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa found that some survivors had such severe health conditions that they were left unable to care for themselves.

“We knew that a disease as severe as Ebola would leave survivors with major problems however, it took me aback to see young and previously active people who had survived but were now unable to move half their bodies, or talk, or pick up their children,” said Janet Scott of Britain’s University of Liverpool, who co-led the research.

She said the findings show a need for larger and more detailed studies of Ebola survivors compared to matched controls who did not get virus. Published in the Emerging Infectious Diseases journal, the study looked at patient notes from of more than 300 Ebola survivors in Sierra Leone, one of the countries worst hit in the 2014-2016 epidemic.

Thirty-four selected patients were then asked to attend a joint neuro-psychiatric clinic in 2016 where they underwent a full neurological examination, psychiatric screening and specialist investigations including brain scan imaging.

Patrick Howlett of King’s College London, who co-led the research, said its results showed that Ebola survivors can suffer with “post-Ebola syndrome” or PES - a wide range of disorders “from minor to extremely severe and disabling”.