Ebola survivor in Butembo comforts child patients using his immunity

Butembo, Democratic Republic of Congo. Jerkis Mahamba, a 29-year-old Ebola survivor, now works in the same treatment centre where he was a patient. Because he is immune to the strain of the virus spreading through Congo, he can comfort sick children whom their own parents are not permitted to touch.

From patient to carer

Mahamba contracted the highly infectious disease from a relative in September and recovered after 18 days of treatment at the centre in the Kitatumba neighbourhood of Butembo, in eastern Congo. Whenever he hears a child cry out in the Ebola ward, he puts on protective gear and goes to the child’s side.

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Speaking to Reuters at the hospital, he said the children sometimes need a hug, sometimes want to be rocked back to sleep and sometimes simply want to talk. He tells them he has been through the illness himself, saying: “I went through this too.” He also urges them not to lose hope.

Drawing on his own experience

Mahamba recalled his own illness, including vomiting, refusing food and struggling to take his medication. He still has to wear protective equipment and disinfect his clothes so that he does not carry the virus out of the ward.

He said he lifts a distressed child and gradually settles the child back into bed. Once the child is lying down, he finds games or activities to keep the child occupied and to build familiarity with staying in bed. He leaves the room only after the child has fallen asleep.

Families watching from behind glass

Relatives often watch through a glass window behind him. One child’s uncle, Kambale Syavula Volonté, said he was frustrated at being unable to get closer, explaining: “Our love for our children is very strong.”

Life before the illness

Before he fell ill, Mahamba earned a modest living selling school supplies on the streets of Butembo. The city is one of the epicentres of the epidemic, the second-largest on record, and lies close to the border with Uganda.