| dc.description.abstract | Introduction: On the 20th of September 2022, the Ministry of health confirmed an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Mubende district in western Uganda after a patient with suspected viral hemorrhagic fever under isolation died. This is the sixth Ebola outbreak in Uganda and nine districts were affected by this outbreak: Bunyangabu, Jinja, Kagadi, Kampala, Kassanda, Kyegegwa, Masaka, Mubende, and Wakiso. 164 cases (142 were confirmed cases and 22 suspect cases) were reported, of which 55 died (CFR: 39%), and 87 recovered.
Aim: The primary objective of this study was to explore the lived experiences of Ebola survivors post discharge from Ebola treatment units in Uganda.
Methods: The study took a phenomenological qualitative research design. A sample of 10 participants who suffered from Ebola virus disease and survived, both male and female were recruited. The participants were obtained through purposive sampling and the study used an in- depth interview of open ended questions. The data was analyzed using inductive content analysis method to generate themes, subthemes, categories and codes.
Results: The findings revealed that the negative experiences outweighed the positive experiences. Ebola survivors expressed feelings of poor emotional stability, grief, physical and emotional pain. They suffered and continue to experience social, psychological and mental challenges in their daily life.
Conclusion: This study offered background information concerning the priority needs and challenges of Ebola survivors post discharge. These challenges and needs can be used to offer support and better healthcare services to survivors and predict better interventions and services to people suffering from highly infectious and fatal illnesses. | en_US |
