Paper short abstract:

Survivors had very diverse experiences during the outbreak but they have vey similar needs. When implementing support mechanisms it will be necessary to consider the psycho-social impact of the disease and include those who are currently “invisible”.

Paper long abstract:

In Liberia there are an estimated 1500 Ebola survivors. Many of them have lost family members, colleagues and friends and had to watch others die in the Ebola Treatment Centers (ETU). Most have lost their personal belongings - cloths, matrasses and mobile phones, that were either burned or otherwise destroyed. One of the major challenges during the peak of the outbreak was that families were rarely informed on the status and condition of their loved ones or even had contact to them while they were sick, which created a lot of resistance among affected communities.

In November and December 2014 WHO did a rapid qualitative assessment on the psycho-social situation of survivors in Liberia. We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions with 62 survivors in Montserrado, Bomi and Margibi counties. We were specifically interested in their illness narratives, the reactions of family and community when they came home, their resilience strategies and their needs. Survivors had very diverse experiences of family and community reception, but they have very similar needs. They need basic and specialized medical and psychosocial support but don't want to be singled out for fear of stigmatization. When implementing support mechanisms it will be necessary to consider the psycho-social impact of the disease and include those who are currently "invisible".