Voice of America
15 Dec 2018, 01:35 GMT+10
JOHANNESBURG - They call her the 'young miracle.' A baby who was admitted to an Ebola treatment center just six days after birth has now recovered from the virus.
Congo's health ministry calls the baby the youngest survivor in what is now the world's second-deadliest Ebola outbreak.
The ministry late Thursday tweeted a photo of the infant, swaddled and with her tiny mouth open in yawn or squall, surrounded by caregivers who watched over her 24 hours a day for weeks.
The baby's mother, who had Ebola, died in childbirth, the ministry said.
The infant was discharged Wednesday from the treatment center in Beni. 'She went home in the arms of her father and her aunt,' the ministry said.
Experts have reported high numbers of children with Ebola in this outbreak, which Congo's health ministry says has 515 cases, 467 of them confirmed, including 255 confirmed deaths.
The tiny survivor is named Benedicte. In video footage shared by UNICEF, she is shown in an isolated treatment area, cradled in the arms of health workers in protective gear or cuddled by Ebola survivors, called 'nounous,' who can go without certain gear such as masks. The survivors are crucial with their reassuring presence, the health ministry said.
'This is my first child,' her father, Thomas, said. 'I truly don't want to lose her. She is my hope.' He gazed at his daughter through the clear protective plastic.
Infected children
Children now account for more than one-third of all cases in this outbreak, UNICEF said earlier this week. One in 10 Ebola cases is in a child under 5 years old, it said, and children who contract the hemorrhagic fever are at greater risk of dying than adults.
While Ebola typically infects adults, as they are most likely to be exposed to the lethal virus, children have been known in some instances to catch the disease when they act as caregivers.
Few cases of Ebola in babies have historically been reported, but experts suspect transmission might happen via breast milk or close contact with infected parents. Ebola is typically spread by infected bodily fluids.
The World Health Organization also has noted that health centers have been identified as a source of Ebola transmission in this outbreak, with injections of medications 'a notable cause.'
Dangerous conditions
So far, more than 400 children have been left orphaned or unaccompanied in this outbreak as patients can spend weeks in treatment centers, UNICEF said. A kindergarten has opened next to one treatment center in Beni 'to assist the youngest children whose parents are isolated' there, it said.
Health experts have said this Ebola outbreak, the 10th in Congo, is like no other as they face the threat of attack from armed groups and resistance from a wary population in a region that had never faced an Ebola outbreak before. Tracking suspected contacts of Ebola victims remains a challenge in areas controlled by rebels.
The latest WHO assessment, released Thursday, simply calls the circumstances 'unforgiving.'
And now, Congo is set to hold a presidential election Dec. 23, with unrest already brewing.
Get a daily dose of Madagascar Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Madagascar Sun.
More InformationNew Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday accused the Congress-led UPA government of weakening India's national...
Johannesburg (South Africa), May 30 (ANI): After concluding their visit to South Africa, the all-party delegation led by NCP-SCP MP...
Birmingham [UK], May 30 (ANI): Harry Brook continues to rise rapidly in the international cricketing arena, marking another significant...
Christchurch [New Zealand], May 30 (ANI): David Trist, the former New Zealand cricket coach who led the team to victory in the 2000...
New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey on Friday slammed the former Manmohan Singh-led government,...
Birmingham [UK], May 30 (ANI): Newly appointed England white-ball captain Harry Brook has urged his team to move on from the past and...
CAIRO, Egypt: Egypt has revealed three newly discovered tombs in the Dra Abu al-Naga necropolis in Luxor. These tombs, found by Egyptian...
TOKYO, Japan: As global inflation remains stubborn and growth prospects dim, central bankers from around the world gathered in Tokyo...
HONOLULU, Hawaii: A man from Oregon, Oliver Widger, has arrived in Hawaii after sailing across the ocean with his cat, Phoenix. He...
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: The Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge GarcĂa Cuerva, used a major religious event over the weekend to criticize...
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico: In a first-of-its-kind judicial election in Mexico, more than 5,000 candidates are vying for over 840 federal...
ZERMATT, Switzerland: Five skiers were found dead on a mountain in Switzerland near the popular ski resort of Zermatt, officials said...