SCOTS EBOLA NURSE: HOW I BEAT THE PLUS KILLER VIRUS
Joy after Pauline makes a ‘full recovery’
A SCOTS nurse who caught ebola while working in Sierra Leone was discharged from hospital yesterday after making a ‘complete recovery’.
Pauline Cafferkey, 39, whose condition was critical for a time, was treated with an anti-viral drug and blood plasma from a European ebola survivor.
Miss Cafferkey, pictured, is now free of the virus after more than three weeks at the Royal Free Hospital in London, where nurse William Pooley also recovered from ebola.
She disclosed that at one point she was very close to not pulling through. As she lay in the high-level isolation unit, she even said to herself: ‘That’s it, I’ve had enough.’
But yesterday, though still looking pale, the nurse said she was ‘happy to be alive’ and thanked staff at the hospital for saving her life.
Miss Cafferkey, who is originally from Crossgates, Fife, was diagnosed
with ebola after returning to Glasgow and was initially admitted to the city’s Gartnavel Hospital on December 29, before being transferred to the Royal Free the following day.
The nurse, who now lives in Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, had volunteered to work with Save The Children at the Ebola Treatment Centre in Kerry Town in Sierra Leone before returning home.
She said she had ‘no idea’ how she caught the virus, which has killed more than 8,000 people in West Africa.
Describing the moment she was told she had contracted ebola, she said: ‘I had a lovely doctor with me who had the horrible job of breaking the bad news to me. She sat with me for a while and she did say to me, “How do you feel?”. I just said, “Well, I’ve got a battle on my hands” – which I had.’
Asked if there was a point at which she thought she might not make it, she said: ‘There was a point when I remember clearly saying, “That’s it, I’ve had enough”.’
Miss Cafferkey recalled the progress of her illness, saying: ‘The first few days I was very strong and felt fine. Then on day three or four I did start to get symptoms and things, and then I started deteriorating.
‘I pretty much lost a week of my life that I just can’t remember. I remember having a discussion with my sister, we had to speak via telephone because I was in a tent, and I was saying, “Oh, that’s me been here a week now,” and she was saying, “No, you’ve been here two weeks,” and I was saying, “No, it’s a week” – and then just realising I’d lost a week of my life at some point.’
Asked how the experience has changed her perspective on life, she said: ‘Many would say, “I’m going to go out there and live life now” – but I was doing a pretty good job at that before all this.’
She said she was looking forward to going home – and had no plans to go back to West Africa in the near future.
She added: ‘I am just happy to be alive. I still don’t feel 100 per cent yet, I feel quite weak, but I’m looking forward to going home. I want to say a big thank you to the staff who treated me, they were amazing. They were always very reassuring and I knew I was in the best hands. They saved my life.’
She is now rebuilding her strength and can walk for short amounts of time. The community health visitor nurse, who works at Blantyre Health Centre, said: ‘I just want to see my friends and family. I just want to get back to normal, get my strength back as I’ve lost a lot of weight and return to work. That’s going to take some time. I’ve a great job, working with babies under the age of five.
‘I’ll be having a break from aid work and I’ve no plans to return to it at the moment, but who knows in the future?’
Miss Cafferkey disclosed that one of Scotland’s favourite soft drinks aided her recovery. She said: ‘As I was beginning to recover, I listened to lots of music when I was in the high-level isolation unit and that was a massive help. I also had lots of Irn-Bru to help me through. Now I’m looking forward to having a bath, I haven’t had one for some time.’
At the Royal Free, she was under the
‘I just said that’s it, I’ve had enough’
care of the infectious diseases team, led by Dr Michael Jacobs. She said: ‘Thanks to Dr Mike and his amazing team of doctors, the matron, the nurses and all the other people that I didn’t meet working behind the scenes to keep things going.
‘I’m definitely going to keep in touch. I’ve got a strong bond with the place, I’ll be sad to leave, but I want to go home.’
She was treated with plasma taken from the blood of recovered European patients and the experimental anti-viral drug ZMabb, which is not the same as
ZMapp, which was used to treat Mr Pooley.
Yesterday, Dr Jacobs said: ‘We are delighted that Pauline has recovered and is now well enough to go home. I am very proud of the staff who have been caring for her. It is because of the skill and hard work of the entire team she is now able to go home.’
Miss Cafferkey’s temperature was tested seven times before she flew from Heathrow to Glasgow and she was cleared to travel. She initially thought she might have a urine infection.
But she became feverish and followed advice given to her at Heathrow to contact local services. She was admitted to an isolation facility at Gartnavel on December 29.
After a blood sample tested positive for ebola, she was transferred in a military plane to the Royal Free Hospital the following day.
Save The Children chief executive Justin Forsyth said: ‘We are delighted for Pauline Cafferkey and her family that she has fully recovered.
‘Pauline is a dedicated humanitarian who worked tirelessly and selflessly in the fight against ebola. Despite the risks to her own safety, she volunteered to use her nursing skills to help save lives in Sierra Leone.’
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: ‘I am delighted to hear Pauline Cafferkey has now been discharged from hospital. Ebola is a terrible disease, and the fact that she has made this recovery is a tremendous tribute to the work of the NHS staff who have been committed to her care.
‘Like all her fellow volunteer health workers, she has shown tremendous bravery in going to West Africa to help tackle the ebola outbreak. I hope that she will now be given the time and space she needs to recuperate after her illness.’
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: ‘I am delighted Pauline Cafferkey has been discharged from hospital and can now return home. Her selflessness and courage are remarkable and she represents the very best of NHS values. I would like to thank all the staff at the Royal Free who have worked tirelessly to provide her with world-class care.’ International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: ‘I am absolutely delighted that Pauline Cafferkey has been successfully treated for ebola and today was discharged from the Royal Free Hospital. All of our thoughts have been with her and her family during her recovery and this is fantastic news.’