Ebola patient in Italy is cured

European patient: Italian doctor cured of Ebola

04/01/2015

After more than a month of treatment, the first Ebola patient in Italy is considered cured. The 50-year-old doctor had been infected with the deadly infectious disease in an aid operation in Sierra Leone. The doctor would like to return to West Africa.

First Ebola patient in Italy
The Italian doctor Fabrizio Pulvirenti has survived his Ebola disease after over a month of treatment. This is reported by the national news agency of Switzerland sda. Before the 50-year-old was released from the hospital in Rome on Friday, he gave a press conference, which met with great interest because the man is the first confirmed Ebola patient in Italy. The physician worked for a relief organization in Sierra Leone, West Africa, where he became infected with the virus.

Patient describes his handling of the disease
He described his handling of the serious illness: „For the first few days, I tried to observe my symptoms, also to keep my mind alert. I did that from a scientific point of view. Then came the moment when I lost my consciousness. I have no memory at all for two weeks.“ Typical symptoms of Ebola that can be seen in patients include fever, diarrhea, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and internal and external bleeding.

Doctor wants to return to West Africa
According to the attending physicians, the patient received, among other things experimental drugs during his treatment in Italy. Pulvirenti thanked his helpers and announced that he wanted to continue his work in Sierra Leone. „First of all, I have to work out to rebuild the lost muscles. After that, I will consider the possibility of returning to Sierra Leone. If only for a short time. I would like to finish what I started.“

Survivors immune to new infections
Generally, Ebola survivors are considered immune to new infections. It has been reported that blood will be sent from Pulvirenti to Sierra Leone to help other patients fight the disease. The Italian patient is not the first Ebola case in Europe. In other countries, such as in Spain or Germany infected people were treated in clinics. Shortly before the turn of the year, a first Ebola case was detected in Scotland. A nurse had been infected with the virus in an emergency operation - also in Sierra Leone. (Ad)