How do Ebola survivors reintegrate into society?

Ebola survivors have to learn how to live with others again after being very sick.

Imagine you're playing with your friends at recess, but then you get a big boo-boo that makes everyone run away from you, even though you're still you. That's like what happens to Ebola survivors. They were once sick and made other people feel scared because they could spread the virus. Now that they're better, they need to go back to school, work, or family life.

Like a kid coming back from being sick

Sometimes, people around them might still be worried, just like how you might stay away from someone who has a bad cold at first. But over time, as the virus goes away and the person gets stronger, everyone starts to feel safe again. Survivors might even help others understand Ebola better because they’ve been through it.

A new kind of hero

Some survivors become like real-life heroes, people who helped them get well might now be friends or neighbors. They know how hard it was to stay strong and recover, so they're celebrated instead of avoided. It's like being the kid who got a big scrape but then became everyone’s favorite because they were brave!

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Examples

  1. A child who survived Ebola returns home and is avoided by neighbors because of fear.
  2. A man who had Ebola now helps others in his village recover from the disease.
  3. Survivors are given food and medicine to help them return to normal life.

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