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Life is returning to normal in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, after the worst Ebola outbreak in history took 11,000 lives. International medical teams have packed up their bags and left. The world has shaken off its Ebola jitters, but now scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and colleagues from China and Sierra Leone are conducting a kind of extended postmortem, trying to figure out what happened.

In her forties, Maimaïssatou Toure is a mother of six and an Ebola survivor from Forécariah Prefecture, Guinea. Known for her dynamism and courage, this woman devoted one year of her life to caring for children whose parents were infected by Ebola and admitted to the treatment centre in Forécariah.

Her story resembles that of many others who have been infected by the Ebola virus disease after contact with a close relative. Unlike some of her family members who were infected but did not survive, including her son, Maimaïssatou Toure beat Ebola after receiving care at the Conakry Donka-based Ebola treatment centre.

“After two weeks of treatment, I tested negative for Ebola and was authorized to go back home to my children and husband. As I expected, people in my neighbourhood avoided any contact with me. They were curious but no one dared coming close to me. What I went through opened my mind and I understood that Ebola patients need support.’’

The antibody, known as mAb114, was effective even when given five days after exposure to Ebola virus, researchers said. Although several clinical trials are in progress, there are currently no licenced therapies against Ebola virus.