Nurse Pauline Cafferkey was discharged from the Royal Free Hospital on Sunday after being treated for Ebola for the third time.

She had previously got infected with the disease when she was in West Africa when the Ebola outbreak was present. The disease not only showed symptoms including diarrhea, nosebleed, and vomiting but also showed neurological abnormalities 6 months after being successfully treated.

Yet, Ebola nurse Cafferkey was discharged from the intensive care of the Royal Free Hospital, which said she was not infectious in a statement released by a hospital’s spokesperson. Cafferkey, who was successfully treated for meningitis developed as a consequence of the Ebola virus, was infected for the first time in 2014 while working in a treatment facility in Sierra Leone.

Photo: Starmine News
Photo: Starmine News

The epidemic’s rapid expansion was able to reach through three countries in West Africa. After being transferred from Sierra Leone to Britain, Cafferkey was successfully treated for Ebola. It’s important to remember she recovered from the Ebola hemorrhagic fever and was sent home in January 2015.

“The virus re-emerged around the brain and around the spinal column to cause meningitis,” said Mike Jacobs a Royal Free Hospital’s lead consultant. “She developed some serious neurological complications.”

Nurse Pauline Cafferkey was working in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak and got infected with the virus, carrying a series of replicas even years after being treated effectively. Although it’s worth noticing that Ebola experts said that Cafferkey’s case is extremely unusual. The Ebola virus can thrive in parts of the body not covered by the immune system, according to the World Health Organization. These body parts can include the insides of the eye, the brain, and the spinal cord.

Following the disease and its solution

Many people got infected with the deadly virus while helping fight the Ebola epidemic in West Africa since 2013, an ironic outlook for patients as Cafferkey. However, Pauline is fighting the disease with an optimistic attitude as she was discharged on Sunday after battling the virus’ replicas for the third time.

Due to the neurological abnormalities showed in Pauline Cafferkey as well as the vast majority of Ebola cases, a recent study is focused on figuring a way to stop the symptoms and its replicas.

The symptoms of Ebola survivors can go from headaches and memory loss to vision problems and even infected semen. So there’s no telling on whether Ebola survivors such as Cafferkey will have to endure the long-term problems of the virus. These symptoms can include weakness, muscle pain, and even hallucinations.

Source: The National