Ebola Survivor's Case Points to Delayed Complications

Health officials say the risk to the general public remains low

FRIDAY, Oct. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) -- A British nurse who survived Ebola has been hospitalized due to a delayed complication from her infection, health officials say.

The patient contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone but was thought to have made a full recovery in January. As of Friday morning, she was in an isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London, the Washington Post reported. She has "an unusual late complication" of Ebola and is in serious condition, according to a statement from the hospital. No further details were provided.

Other Ebola survivors have developed health problems believed to the result of lingering effects of the virus, raising concerns about the long-term effects of the disease on survivors, the Post reported. A World Health Organization team went to Kenema, Sierra Leone, a year ago to assess Ebola survivors who had a range of symptoms.

"Apart from visual problems, which affect approximately 50 percent of Ebola survivors in Kenema, people complain of 'body aches' such as joint, muscle, and chest pain. They also suffer headaches and extreme fatigue, making it difficult to take up their former lives -- especially if it involved manual work -- as farmers, labourers, and housewives," according to the WHO's findings, the Post reported. Vision problems were also common among Ebola survivors in Kenema.

Health Highlights: Oct. 9, 2015

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