Uganda experienced three Ebola outbreaks between 2000 and 2012, the largest and most destructive occurred in the Gulu region in 2000. This outbreak occurred during the rainy season when malaria rates were highest, thus complicating the diagnosis. As the outbreak accelerated, health care workers were not alerted that the infectious agent was Ebola nor were they informed about the disease and the mode of transmission. Nurses, during this period, were working without personal protective equipment (PPE) and guidelines to implement precautions. As a result, 64% of health care workers became infected.
This research sought to answer the research question: “What was it like being a nurse living through and surviving Ebola?” It therefore describes the experiences of Ugandan nurse survivors who cared for Ebola patients in Gulu, a city in the northern region of Uganda.
