Endless Celebration as Fr. Lucien Ambunga, the Catholic Priest Infected With Ebola, Survives [Photos]

Endless Celebration as Fr. Lucien Ambunga, the Catholic Priest Infected With Ebola, Survives [Photos]

Father Lucien Ambunga, Catholic Priest and Pastor for the remote rural community of Itipo of DR Congo, returned to his parish on 8 June, after recovering from Ebola, as his church members celebrated.

Last month, after he got infected while praying for an Ebola patient, he was taken to the town of Bikoro where there is an Ebola treatment centre. His bishop also visited to pray for him.

When he returned to Itipo on Friday, he was greeted by a joyous crowd, who carried him on their shoulders and chanted “The hero this year is Courage (Father Ambunga’s nickname).”He stressed how moved he was to be back. “I can’t’ explain to you now Madame. It’s too much for me,” said Father Lucien. “What I can say, what is in my heart, is joy.”Extremely contagious and highly deadly, Ebola gained major international attention during the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa that left more than 11,000 people dead.

In the latest outbreak in DRC, the first case of Ebola was reported on May 8 in the rural Equateur province near Bikoro, and later spread to Mbandaka. The World Health Organization has said that the chances of Ebola spreading to other parts of the nation are “very high.”