CDC Press Release: Supporting Ebola Survivors

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Press Release   For Immediate Release                                                                                                        Friday, December 12, 2014                                                                                                                 Contact: CDC Media Relations  (404) 639-3286   Supporting Ebola Survivors Survivors fight Ebola stigma, provide patient care; community reintegration key   The case fatality rate in West Africa’s ongoing Ebola epidemic – estimates range from 60 percent to 70 percent of those hospitalized – hides a hopeful statistic:  the fact that many Ebola patients survive. There now are thousands of Ebola survivors. In this epidemic as in past Ebola outbreaks, survivors often face stigma, income loss, and both grief and survivor guilt over the loss of family and friends. Many if not all of their possessions have been destroyed to prevent disease transmission. In some cases, families have been reluctant to accept orphaned children. Two reports in the December 12 early release issue of CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) detail programs in Liberia and Sierra Leone to help Ebola survivors reintegrate with their communities and resume their lives. As survivors are thought to have some protective immunity to the strain of Ebola that sickened them, many survivors now work as caregivers for other Ebola patients. “Nothing says more about the resilience of the human spirit than Ebola survivors who become role models for their communities,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “They show others that Ebola can be defeated and provide care, support, and inspiration for others stricken by this terrible disease.”    Read More>>   ###   U.S. Department of Health and Human Services    CDC works 24/7 saving lives, protecting people from health threats, and saving money through prevention. Whether these threats are global or domestic, chronic or acute, curable or preventable, natural disaster or deliberate attack, CDC is the nation’s health protection agency.   To unsubscribe from this CDC media listserv, please reply to media@cdc.gov with the email address you would like removed. The CDC has reached 1 million email subscribers. Thank you for your support. Modify/Update Subscriber Preferences or Unsubscribe | Learn about CDC Updates Questions or problems? Please contact support@govdelivery.com. This email was sent to filter@clubhouseb.com using GovDelivery,on behalf of: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • 1600 Clifton Rd • Atlanta, GA 30329-4027 • 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)