Many Africans, who survived the deadly Ebola, now have to contend with prolonged pains in their joints. The World Health Organization announced on Friday that Ebola survivors also face the possibility of going blind due to serious inflammation in their eyes.

Most of the victims of the recent Ebola outbreak are people located in West African countries. Around 50 percent of the Ebola survivors in the region reportedly suffer from serious joint pains, which leaves them unable to do any work, according to a WHO official, Daniel Bausch.

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One in four survivors are suffering from various eye ailments including inflammation. Experts have warned that many Ebola survivors are likely to go blind if they do not get medical assistance quickly. However, the affected countries reportedly lack the facilities and personnel to treat these patients.

Aside from the physical scars, many have also been left traumatized by their harrowing experience.

The recent Ebola outbreak was centered in three countries namely, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. After more than a year, the virus left more than 11,000 people dead. But around 16,000 of those who were afflicted by Ebola managed to survived.

WHO spokesperson Anders Nordstrom said the high survival rate is quite surprising for many medical experts. Almost 15 years ago, when Ebola emerged in Uganda, only 50 percent of those afflicted managed to recover from the disease.

Ebola can be transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons. Health experts say eye inflammation in Ebola survivors may mean that traces of the virus remains in the eye tissues.

Similar medical conditions have been reported among survivors of previous Ebola outbreaks - but only after almost 40 years.

A large number of West African Ebola survivors are providing doctors with meaningful data regarding the dynamics of the Ebola virus.

Meanwhile, medical researchers are worried about the possibility that Ebola survivors can still transmit the virus through sexual intercourse with previously uninfected persons.

WHO consultant Daniel Bausch said there are relatively less chances of this scenario. He also noted that research into the Ebola virus is being hampered by the lack of organization and cooperation between countries especially with regards to sharing Ebola blood samples.

TagsEbola Virus, Ebola outbreak, Ebola survivor, Ebola in Sierra Leone, West Africa Ebola Outbreak, ebola sexual transmission, WHO, Ebola Virus Disease, ebola symptoms, Ebola Survivors Pain Eye Ailments