Ebola survivors 'face health issues'

The WHO said the risks of the Ebola virus spreading from country to country were reducing

Many Ebola survivors are likely to face further health issues including eye and joint problems, the World Health Organization has warned.

The organisation said there had not been enough focus on this so far.

It added there had been "real, substantive progress" in the drive to end the outbreak in the last few weeks.

But experts remained "absolutely firm" the crisis still constituted a public health emergency of international concern.

The WHO announced it was attempting to set up clinics in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea to monitor the health consequences Ebola survivors face.

Dr Bruce Aylward, assistant director general of the organisation, admitted not much was known about the long-term implications of the virus.

But he said the information gathered at these clinics would help the mental and physical health needs of people recovering from the disease.

According to WHO doctors, a substantial proportion of patients have reported problems with their vision and joints.

Dr Andrew Ramsay, working for the WHO in Sierra Leone, previously said: "Eye problems might be caused by damage to the cornea, to the nerves or something else.

"At this point we do not have enough information to know exactly what is going on.

"But we need to find out urgently so we can do whatever we can to preserve the eyesight for people who have to try to pick up their lives again."

Experts said they were also considering whether it was feasible to offer screening to male survivors to check if the virus was still present in semen after they recovered.

Current advice suggests survivors should practice safe sex for 90 days after they have been declared free of the virus, as it can linger in some bodily fluids.

At a meeting convened to review whether the WHO should continue to describe the outbreak as an international emergency, Dr Aylward said real progress had been made.

He said the worst-affected countries were on track in clearing the disease, despite the advancing rainy season which had threatened to make logistics harder.

And the WHO said the risks of international spread of the virus were abating.

But Dr Aylward warned numbers were "not at zero by any stretch".

Challenges continue, including new cases that are not on registered lists of known Ebola contacts.

Just 30 confirmed infections were recorded in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in the previous week.

But the decline in numbers posed a challenge for those developing vaccines and therapies, the WHO warned.

Dr Aylward said: "A lot of thought by a lot of smart people is going on to make sure we have the tools we need going forward."

There have been 25,532 cases during this Ebola outbreak and 10,584 deaths.

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