Ebola Infection May Lead to Cataracts in Children

The Ebola virus epidemic that swept through several West African nations from 2013 to 2016 killed more than 11,000 people. An additional 17,000 people were infected but survived. But now a new problem has surfaced, according to an article in The Seattle Times; in some patients, the Ebola virus remained in the fluid inside the eyes, leading eventually to severe inflammation of the eyes (uveitis), a thickening and scarring of the lens (cataracts), and a potential loss of vision. Cataracts are generally a condition found in the elderly. But they've been found in Ebola survivors as young as five, even if the child had seemingly recovered from the Ebola infection and the virus was no longer detectable in his/her blood.

The findings are disturbing, because they show that patients who were thought to have "recovered" from their Ebola infection can still harbor the virus in bodily fluids not normally tested by health officials. How and when those hidden reservoirs of infection might re-emerge is anybody's guess. You can be sure that health officials will be asking questions and following up.