About half of the survivors of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) are now suffering from chronic conditions such as serious joint pain and eye inflammation which can lead to blindness. This was revealed on Friday by the global health experts. Following  this report, their health condition has become an emergency within an emergency as the global community will have to rally round to save them.

The Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) which was declared an international health emergency by World Health Organization on the 8th of August, 2014  has so far affected about 27900 people and claimed about 11300 lives.

According to Reuters news agency, Daniel Bausch of the WHO’s clinical care team on Ebola survivors, said that eye problems including inflammation, impaired vision and – in severe but rare cases – blindness, have been reported by about 25 percent of survivors. They are also affected by serious long-term problems, such as increasing rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and social exclusion. Bausch stated further that since the disease was first discovered in 1976 only few survivors have been reported to have sight problems, joint pain and headaches. The number of survivors was also too small to study or draw any meaningful scientific conclusions.

It is reported that scientists are not able to say whether survivors’ chronic health problems are unusual. They believe the vision impairments reported by survivors of the current outbreak are probably linked to the virus persisting in the eyes. However, specialists say,  it is not surprising that a virus as dangerous as Ebola could have long-term impacts, and the unprecedented outbreak in West Africa offers a unique opportunity to learn more about how to help survivors.