Pauline Cafferkey, a Scottish nurse who contracted the Ebola Virus Disease while working at a treatment centre in Sierra Leone last year is now critically ill with complications arising from the infection. She spent close to a month in isolation at the Royal Free early this year and was discharged after making a full recovery, but sadly the virus was discovered in her body a week ago. She was transferred from a Glasgow hospital to a specialist unit in London last week
The hospital said in a statement that her condition had deteriorated.
“We are sad to announce that Pauline Cafferkey’s condition has deteriorated and she is now critically ill. She is being treated for Ebola in the high level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital.”
Prior to her readmission, she had returned to work as a public health nurse at Blantyre Health Centre in South Lanarkshire, collected an award at the Pride of Britain Awards in London and even visited a primary school to thank children for their fund-raising efforts.
She had mentioned during an interview that some of the after effects she had been been experiencing were joint pains, thyroid problems and then attributed them to being “a bit older”.
A BBC medical correspondent, Fergus Walsh, has suggested that she may have been suffering from meningitis. He told BBC News:
“She was admitted on Friday morning when her condition was serious and it is now critical. We have not been given any more details, but earlier this week her family had spoke about how unhappy they had been last week when she was sent home after going to an out-of-hours GP. She is a nurse, and described the symptoms of meningitis. That would fit with one of the possible scenarios.
“Although she fought off successfully being critically ill once before, somehow the virus stayed and lodged in parts of her body. It could well be the spinal cord, and if she does have meningitis that would be inflammation of the spinal cord.”
Source: BBC