A 37-year-old Ebola patient, who was thought to be dead for days, was found alive by a burial team in Liberia.
Despite efforts, an ambulance never arrived to aid the victim, but once he was thought to be dead, a burial team arrived within an hour. The unidentified man was doused in bleach and his body was prepared to be wrapped in a plastic body bag. As the team was wrapping him, they saw his hand move slightly. Cheers quickly erupted from a crowd that had gathered, as he was put on a stretcher.
The first responders arrived with an ambulance after 10 minutes to transport the man for care. But there was little hope for his survival, as hospital beds for infected patients are extremely scarce in Liberia.
“We couldn’t get him help when he was alive,” a community leader told Dr. Richard Besser of ABC News. “They only come when you die.”
Liberia has the highest Ebola death toll amongst the West African countries, with more than 2,000 deaths and over 3,600 residents infected.