Ebola Doctor Who Faced His Mother’s Fears and Survived Tells His Story

When Dr. Raymond Kasereka Kamwanga told his family he suspected he had Ebola and was planning to go to a treatment centre in Butembo, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, his family was horrified.

They viewed the specialised unit as a “death house,” because not many patients recover—especially when they are admitted late in the illness. His 50-year-old mother was in tears and pleaded with him not to go there.

“Why are you choosing to die at the Ebola treatment centre?” asked Masika Ndungo.

But Dr. Kamwanga, a doctor at Butembo’s Katwa Hospital, knew that if he stayed home, he was unlikely to survive.

This happened in July, two months after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a public health emergency of international concern. Since then, more than 5,400 people have died and 11,000 have been infected, making it the second-deadliest outbreak ever recorded.

Butembo is in North Kivu province, the epicentre of the crisis, and according to the Congolese health ministry, it has reported the highest number of cases.

Dr. Kamwanga is one of the 3,031 people who have survived. He is committed to sharing his story in an effort to help stop the spread of infections devastating his community.

After facing death and overcoming ostracisation, he has started writing a book about his experience.

“As someone who has recovered, I am living proof that the disease exists, but also that it is possible to recover from it,” he tells the BBC outside Katwa Hospital where he still works.

The 30-year-old medic believes he contracted the virus through contact with a patient in a setting where protective measures were not always adequate.

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