Ebola: How one little boy danced his way to recovery [VIDEO]

As the Ebola outbreak in West Africa continues unabated, there comes a moment of lightness in the form of a bubbly 11-year old boy who beat the odds against the disease.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) relates the story of Mamadee who, despite suffering for weeks with Ebola – the symptoms of which include nausea, fever, muscle pain, fatigue, abdominal pain and diarrhoea – never lost his childish playfulness.

Despite being confined to MSF’s Case Management Centre (CMC) in Foya, Liberia, for three weeks, Mamadee continued to dance to the radio and play with whatever he could find, whether it was a tin can or a water sachet.

To many, it seemed impossible that Mamadee could be a patient himself but his blood tests proved otherwise – he was indeed infected with Ebola.

“His attitude is definitely exceptional. Every day, the boy spreads a good spirit to the patients and staff. He is always smiling and happy,” MSF’s Dr Roberta Petrucci said.

Only one in three patients survives this deadly disease. Among the deceased was Mamadee’s older sister, Mayan, who succumbed to Ebola after a few days. According to MSF, Ebola has claimed 2 461 lives as of 13 September. Mamadee was one of the fortunate few.

Read more about Mamadee’s story here.

 – Featured image via MSF/Martin Zinggl