‘They think I am still contagious’: Ebola survivor faces stigma after recovery

Jérémie Mamba Malese received his Ebola diagnosis on his birthday. Months later, after surviving the disease, he still faces people who believe he could infect them.

Malese, a nutrition scientist from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, initially thought his illness was typhoid fever. He had headaches, but the usual medicines did not work and his fever continued to rise. He decided to go to an Ebola treatment center and get tested, even though many people in similar situations still avoid doing so.

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Some people are still afraid of me.

He had prepared himself mentally for a possible diagnosis during the journey. His mother panicked when he was admitted, and the rest of his family was shocked. Seeking treatment early, before the disease fully developed, may have saved his life. He was released as cured two and a half weeks ago, joining more than 1,400 people who have recovered in Congo. Friends later organized the birthday celebration he had missed, making the occasion feel like a second birthday.

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They think I am still contagious, that I can transmit the virus to them. But I think it is simply ignorance.

The welcome has not been universal. “Some people are still afraid of me,” Malese said. Neighbors believe he remains contagious and could pass the virus to them. He sees that reaction as a product of ignorance, but it has not protected him from prejudice.

His experience reflects a wider problem among Ebola survivors. A 2024 Canadian study of almost 600 people who survived the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone found that half experienced stigma. Nearly 40 percent reported separation from a partner because of fears of infection, while others lost jobs or felt isolated from family and friends.

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I will never forget that for the rest of my life.