A nurse who survived the current Ebola outbreak: ‘I screamed in pain, my body ached and I felt itchy all over’

When Furaha Tikamanyire began feeling ill on April 26, she did not imagine she had contracted Ebola. For weeks, this nurse at the Bunia Evangelical Medical Center in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had cared for dozens of people arriving from the Mongbwalu region, about 75 kilometers away, where the virus had begun spreading before it was identified.

“I must have contracted the disease through close contact with patients. One day I was exposed to a patient’s blood,” she now recalls, following her recovery, in a telephone interview with EL PAÍS. The 30-year-old nurse and mother of two is one of four health workers who were discharged on Sunday, May 31, from the Rwampara Ebola treatment center, about 10 kilometers north of Bunia, the capital of Ituri, the province that is at the epicenter of the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC. Medical sources say all four were infected before Congolese authorities had officially declared the disease on May 15.

My eyes hurt so much. There was a moment when I screamed in pain. My body ached and sometimes I felt itchy all over

Furaha Tikamanyire, Ebola survivor

Tikamanyire remembers that most of the people she treated in those days had headaches, extreme fatigue and stomach pains. “They are the same symptoms I had when I contracted the disease. I also lost my appetite and had a kind of conjunctivitis. My eyes hurt so much. There was a moment when I screamed in pain. My body ached and sometimes I felt itchy all over,” she recalls.

The four survivors received medical discharge certificates in a ceremony held at the Bunia Evangelical Medical Center, attended by World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Your courage gives us hope and you are living proof that this outbreak can be stopped. That is the message I take away from all this,” the WHO chief told the survivors during the event, according to Reuters. “To communities I say that if they come early and receive medical care and support, they can also survive, just as others have,” he added.

To communities I say that if they come early and receive medical care and support, they can also survive, just as others have

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization

“This is a victory worth celebrating. It is a clear message that it is possible to recover from Ebola when medical care is sought early at a specialized health facility,” said Dr. Dieudonne Mwamba Kazadi, director-general of the country’s National Institute of Public Health.

Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba leaned on the country’s experience fighting Ebola over the past 50 years. “We have defeated Ebola 16 times. We will defeat it again,” he wrote on his X account on the occasion of the official discharge of the health workers.

This outbreak, however, is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a much less common variant than the Zaire strain, which is responsible for most Ebola epidemics—including at least 15 of the 17 in the DRC—and for which there is an effective vaccine. The current strain lacks approved vaccines and treatments. On Monday, the race against time to tackle Bundibugyo advanced thanks to an international push to develop three experimental vaccine candidates.

Patients who have recovered from Bundibugyo Ebola have done so without a specific treatment for this variant, relying instead on intensive medical care. According to the WHO, the key is early supportive care, which includes intravenous hydration, symptom control and constant monitoring to prevent complications such as bleeding or organ failure. This treatment does not eliminate the virus directly, but helps keep the patient stable while their immune system contains the infection, which can significantly increase survival chances.

Tikamanyire recalls that while she was hospitalized doctors focused on treating her symptoms. “When my eyes hurt they treated me to relieve the pain. When I felt weak they gave me medication to ease it,” she says, adding that she hopes a cure will soon be found to limit the damage.

In total, six people have recovered from the disease in the DRC and two in Uganda, the countries affected by the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak. In the DRC there are 363 confirmed cases, 206 people are hospitalized or in isolation and 62 reported deaths, according to government data on June 2, 2026. The WHO reported that the number of suspected cases has now fallen to 116, down from more than 1,000 last week, as the backlog in confirmations and dismissals is resolved. Uganda has recorded 15 confirmed cases and one associated death, according to WHO data.

“I still can’t believe it”

The nurse remembers that, before the disease was identified, she received visitors for a time at the hospital where she was admitted. “Soon after, I was told that my condition had worsened and visits were suspended,” she recounts. When doctors told her she had Ebola, Tikamanyire felt fear. However, she says she never lost hope of recovering. “I’m a believer. I knew I would get through the illness, even though it was frightening. I have come a long way and I still can’t believe it,” she says with joy. “It wasn’t until I left the Ebola treatment center that I learned other health workers had died during this outbreak,” she adds.

It wasn’t until I left the Ebola treatment center that I learned other health workers had died during this outbreak

Furaha Tikamanyire, Ebola survivor

The six Ebola survivors have not only given hope to Congolese authorities but also to the population of the DRC. “I thought anyone who got the disease was doomed to die. Fortunately, some have recovered and I hope the same will happen with the other confirmed cases,” says Joël Bahati, a motorcycle taxi driver in Bunia.

Ituri province remains the epicenter of the outbreak, with 341 confirmed cases and 48 deaths. It has 15 affected health zones and response teams face major obstacles, including distrust among segments of the population and a low contact-tracing rate of 45.5%, which complicates the fight against the disease.

On June 1, 2026, the Ministry of Transportation, Communications and Regional Development announced the reopening of Bunia airport, the capital of Ituri province, which had been closed since May 23. However, a series of public health measures have been implemented at the facility, including body temperature checks, mandatory hand hygiene and immediate isolation of passengers with fever. The ministry also urged airlines, airport infrastructure managers, travelers and airport staff to act responsibly and ensure the safety and strict adherence to the measures.

Now recovered, Furaha Tikamanyire faces other unexpected consequences resulting from the disease. She says she has received a flood of defamatory messages from strangers accusing her of having been paid by Congolese authorities and certain NGOs to make “false statements” about the virus. “They tell me I say I contracted Ebola because I was paid to do so, and this is something that is affecting me psychologically,” she explains.

Despite having risked her life, Tikamanyire intends to continue working as a nurse and to keep saving lives. She hopes that, having overcome Ebola, her message will help combat the stereotypes that fuel resistance among part of the population toward the teams involved in the response to the disease.

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