Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey 'critically ill' after condition deteriorates
Pauline Cafferkey, the nurse who suffered complications from the Ebola infection she contracted while volunteering in west Africa, is now critically ill, the Royal Free hospital in London has said.
Cafferkey was flown from Scotland, where she lives, to London for specialised care in an isolation tent at the Royal Free after she fell ill last week. Her family said the local medical staff were slow to realise this was a recurrence of the infection she had successfully fought last year.
The hospital said on Wednesday afternoon that her condition had deteriorated and that she was critically ill. It has not released further details of her illness.
“We are sad to announce that Pauline Cafferkey’s condition has deteriorated and she is now critically ill. Pauline is being treated for Ebola in the high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free hospital,” a statement said.
While there have been reports of the virus lingering in the eyes of survivors and of transmission through semen, Cafferkey is the first person known to have a life-threatening recurrence of Ebola viral disease – though it is entirely possible that other survivors in west Africa may have fallen ill in the same way but without coming to public attention.
Cafferkey’s illness has taken doctors by surprise. Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said it was known the virus could linger, “but this is frankly staggering. I am not aware from the scientific literature of a case where Ebola has been associated with what we can only assume as life-threatening complications after someone has initially recovered, and certainly not so many months after.
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This is new and a bit scary. Some of us felt this was a new strain of the virus, manmade or otherwise, and it appears that may have been correct.
Pauline Cafferkey, the nurse who suffered complications from the Ebola infection she contracted while volunteering in west Africa, is now critically ill, the Royal Free hospital in London has said.
Cafferkey was flown from Scotland, where she lives, to London for specialised care in an isolation tent at the Royal Free after she fell ill last week. Her family said the local medical staff were slow to realise this was a recurrence of the infection she had successfully fought last year.
The hospital said on Wednesday afternoon that her condition had deteriorated and that she was critically ill. It has not released further details of her illness.
“We are sad to announce that Pauline Cafferkey’s condition has deteriorated and she is now critically ill. Pauline is being treated for Ebola in the high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free hospital,” a statement said.
While there have been reports of the virus lingering in the eyes of survivors and of transmission through semen, Cafferkey is the first person known to have a life-threatening recurrence of Ebola viral disease – though it is entirely possible that other survivors in west Africa may have fallen ill in the same way but without coming to public attention.
Cafferkey’s illness has taken doctors by surprise. Jonathan Ball, professor of molecular virology at the University of Nottingham, said it was known the virus could linger, “but this is frankly staggering. I am not aware from the scientific literature of a case where Ebola has been associated with what we can only assume as life-threatening complications after someone has initially recovered, and certainly not so many months after.
__________________________________________________________
This is new and a bit scary. Some of us felt this was a new strain of the virus, manmade or otherwise, and it appears that may have been correct.
