On Tuesday, dozens of Ebola survivors were issued health certificates stating that they are now free of the disease as they were discharged from the Hastings Treatment Center, an Ebola treatment facility near Sierra Leone's capital. The cleared patients probably displayed their certificates as I walked out of the hospital.
One of the survivors, 14-year-old Hawanatu Turay said that she was happy to be healthy again, "I feel good because nothing hurts me anymore, and I am feeling fine. I can eat fine, my stomach hurts no more, my head aches no more and also my neck. Nothing hurts, and I have no more pains." Turay was among the 130 patients have been treated and released from the facility since operations started on September 19.
Report of the survivors brings hope to a country that is one of the hardest hit in the West African region. To date, there is an estimated 9,900 people who are affected with the Ebola virus disease, with over 4,800 already dead. Dr. Sankoh from the Sierra Leone army said that this incident is a good indication that the treatment center is doing the country a service. "This is a clear manifestation that we cure a good number of Ebola patients in this center. We are actually doing good job here. We discharge, we treat patients and also do follow-up treatment, not only treating them, but we also make sure that they have their full dollars of combinations that they need," he says. Dr. Sakoh has attributed follow-up treatment for the remarkable number of recoveries at the center.
Sierra Leone is one of the hardest hit countries with one of the most cases of Ebola virus infections during the current outbreak. British International Development Secretary, Sec. Justine Greening, said that healthcare training is key to keeping the virus at bay. He said, "One of the worst aspects of what's happened here in Sierra Leone is a breakdown of the healthcare system. We've seen healthcare workers really on the front line and also being many of the people who have lost their lives."