My mother told me I would die if I sought treatment for Ebola - I am proof you can survive

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: My mother told me I would die if I sought treatment for Ebola - I am proof you can surviveImage source, Braton Serge/BBCByRuth AlongaBBC Africa, Reporting fromButemboPublished50 minutes agoWhen Dr Raymond Kasereka Kamwanga told his family he suspected he had Ebola and was going to a treatment centre in the city of Butembo in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, his family were horrified. They regarded the specialised unit as a "death house" as not many patients do recover - especially those admitted in the late stages of the illness. His 50-year-old mother was in tears, pleading with him not to go there.

"Why are you choosing to die at the Ebola treatment centre? " Masika Ndungo had asked him. But as a doctor at Butembo's Katwa Hospital, he knew that if stayed at home, he was unlikely to survive.

The Details

This was in July, two months after the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo a public health emergency of international concern. Since then 5,400 people have died and 11,000 have been infected, making it the second-most deadly outbreak ever recorded. Butembo is in North Kivu province, the epicentre of the crisis, with the highest number of reported cases, according to the Congolese health ministry.

Dr Kamwanga is one of 3,031 people who have survived - and is evangelical about sharing his story in an effort to help stop the spread of infections devastating his community. After staring death in the face and overcoming ostracisation, he has even started writing a book about his experience. "As someone who has recovered, I am living proof that the disease exists, but also that it is possible to recover from it," he tells the outside Katwa Hospital where he still works.

The 30-year-old medic believes he contracted the virus through contact with a patient in a setting where protective measures are not always adequate. Image source, Braton Serge/BBCImage caption, Raymond Kasereka Kamwanga uses his book to help convince sceptics that Ebola is realThe first symptoms appeared gradually: a bitter taste in his mouth, headaches and a general feeling of malaise. He contacted the Ebola response team.

What Experts Say

After an initial consultation and some tests, he returned home, but his condition did not improve. Butembo does not have the equipment to quickly test for Ebola - samples need to be sent to the city of Beni, 54km (33 miles) north. This delays diagnosis as the condition of roads in this war-torn and underdeveloped part of DR Congo means it can take between 48 and 72 hours to travel even this relatively short distance.

After three days at home, Kamwanga felt extremely weak and experienced muscle pain. On the fourth day, he began vomiting and had diarrhoea. This is when he gathered his family members - including his mother - to tell them he had to go to the Ebola treatment centre.

"She had started crying, along with my sisters. I told them everything would be alright, that I was a doctor and that I was confident.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.