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Swedish nurse works in Congo's Ebola outbreak: 'Not afraid'
🇸🇪 Sweden /Health & Science

Swedish nurse works in Congo's Ebola outbreak: 'Not afraid'

From Dagens Nyheter · () Swedish

Translated from Swedish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Swedish nurse Martina Gustavsson is working in eastern Congo amid a severe Ebola outbreak but remains unafraid.
  • The current outbreak is driven by the rare bundibugyo virus variant, which lacks a vaccine and effective treatment.
  • Gustavsson, deployed by Doctors Without Borders, trains local healthcare workers and helps establish isolation units, facing challenges like limited water and difficult access to remote villages.

Swedish nurse Martina Gustavsson is on the front lines of the Ebola epidemic in eastern Congo, working in the Nordkivu region, one of the areas hardest hit by the current outbreak. Despite the gravity of the situation, where hundreds have died from the hemorrhagic fever, Gustavsson expresses a calm resolve.

"If you know how to protect yourself, you need to be vigilant, but not afraid," she stated. Gustavsson is currently in the capital, Kinshasa, awaiting her return to Sweden. Before she can travel, she must remain symptom-free for a specified period to ensure she is not infected.

If you know how to protect yourself, you need to be vigilant, but not afraid.

— Martina GustavssonExpressing her mindset while working in an Ebola-affected region.

This is not Gustavsson's first experience with Ebola; she was also present in 2019 when the disease claimed over 2,000 lives. However, the current outbreak is distinct due to the involvement of the bundibugyo virus variant. Unlike other strains, this variant lacks a readily available vaccine and effective treatment, leading Gustavsson to believe the outbreak will persist for a considerable time.

I think this will go on for a long time, unfortunately.

— Martina GustavssonCommenting on the potential duration of the current Ebola outbreak.

Deployed by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Gustavsson has been instrumental in training local healthcare personnel on protective measures and risk reduction. She has also assisted in setting up isolation units at health clinics to prevent the spread of infection to other patients. The work is demanding, often hampered by a lack of basic resources like running water and soap, and complicated by the remote locations of many villages, making contact tracing difficult.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a significant initiative, valued at nearly five billion Swedish kronor, to combat the outbreak. Clinical trials are underway in Bunia to find a vaccine and treatment for the bundibugyo variant. However, efforts to contain the virus are further challenged by ongoing violence and armed conflicts in the region, which have displaced millions of civilians. Gustavsson emphasizes the importance of gaining public trust to encourage timely medical care.

It is important to win people's trust and get them to seek medical care in time.

— Martina GustavssonHighlighting a key challenge in controlling the spread of the virus.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dagens Nyheter in Swedish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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