After studying 82 Ebola survivors, doctors from the U.S. National Institutes of Health found that most were suffering from new, long-term health problems six months after being infected.
At the height of their infection, most of the survivors had severe neurological problems, like hallucinations. Six months after being discharged from the hospital, two-thirds had body weakness and half had symptoms of depression, memory loss, and regular headaches, BBC News reports. Two were actively suicidal while being studied. The doctors said that some of the issues could clear up as their bodies heal, and some are suffering trauma from being ostracized from their families and communities.
In West Africa, more than 17,000 people survived Ebola, and this research was part of a larger study focusing on health issues post-Ebola. "It was pretty striking, this is a young population of patients, and we wouldn't expect to have seen these sorts of problems," Dr. Lauren Bowen, from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, told BBC News. "Ebola hasn't gone away for these people."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Testosterone therapy in women highlights the lack of women’s health researchThe explainer There is no FDA-approved testosterone product for women
-
Magazine solutions - November 7, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 7, 2025
-
Magazine printables - November 7, 2025Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - November 7, 2025
-
FDA OKs generic abortion pill, riling the rightSpeed Read The drug in question is a generic version of mifepristone, used to carry out two-thirds of US abortions
-
RFK Jr. vaccine panel advises restricting MMRV shotSpeed Read The committee voted to restrict access to a childhood vaccine against chickenpox
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreakSpeed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agencySpeed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kidsSpeed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
