Cuban doctor that fought Ebola sends greetings to Fidel and Raul

Dr. Rodriguez Borroto, who alongside other comrades fought the deadly virus of Ebola in Western Africa for six months, sent special greetings to Fidel and Raul and the Cuban people in general.

In Sierra Leona, one of the three countries affected by the disease that killed over 11 thousand people, Specialist in General Medicine and Intensive Care of the Machaco Ameijeiras policlinic of the Havana municipality of Guanabacoa fulfilled an honorable and difficult mission.

Before the call of the UN Secretary General and the World Health Organization, Dr. Rodriguez Borroto, member of the Henry Reeve International Health Brigade did not hesitate to take a step forward for his first mission in very dangerous conditions.

The Doctor told Cuba News Agency, "I fulfilled this task with great pride and offered all I could for our Revolution and our Homeland". He added that he is willing to continue offering his aid to other nations.

Father of three children and originating from a revolutionary family, Dr. Elvis Rodriguez Borroto left without telling the whole truth, they cried, said goodbye and here I am with my family once again, he said.

Dr. Rodriguez and the rest of the doctors and nurses returned to the island last Sunday greeted by Mercedes Lopez Acea, First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party of Havana and member of the Council of State and other officials, family and colleagues that fulfilled their mission.

"We returned, fulfilled our mission and grew a beard in honor of the historic leader of the Revolution", he said.

His brother, David Rodriguez Borroto, said, "what this medical brigade has done is the most honorable thing of the last 50 years, thanks to the examples of Fidel and Raul, ideals that are present along with Che´s and the Cuban people". "This also shows that this country has never been or will be a terrorist nation and what Cuba has promoted is health and wellbeing for the world", he said.

"The enemy would have been identified if this would have been a war; not here, we do now know where the bullets are coming from", he said referring to the difficult conditions when facing Ebola.

"As President Raul Castro said during the recent 7th Summit of the Americas held in Panama, what Cuba wants is a planet where we can live in peace and where humanity can only think and work in favor of humankind.

"This Summit, with the participation of 35 regional nations was proof that Cuba's example should be followed by many nations", he said.

Dr. Elvis Rodriguez Borroto is proud of having been raised during the Revolution and having a father, grandfather and his whole family that have revolutionary ideals among them were members of the July 26th Movement.

In the most affected nations of western Africa: Liberia, Conakry Guinea and Sierra Leona, 256 Cuban doctors and nurses challenged the epidemic and were there despite of the danger as recognized by the international community.

Rodriguez Borroto told Cuba News Agency that only 35 percent of the 6 million inhabitants in Sierra Leona know how to read and write.

"We had to educate the population on the dangers of the Ebola virus, easily contagious and the importance to look for help", he said. Dr. Felix Baez Sarria who returned in the first group of health professionals said that the first stage of epidemiology surveillance is over.

"We went to control the epidemic and we felt a great commitment with the people of that nation and we did not deceive them because we were at peace since we knew that our families on the island were going to be looked after by Cuban authorities. If I had to return to Africa I would do it again without thinking about it twice and now more prepared than before", he said.

The specialist in Internal Medicine of the Carlos J. Finlay Military Hospital in Havana survived the infection of the virus and returned to the African nation to continue alongside his colleagues to fight the mortal epidemic.

He thanked the Cuban people that were worried about him from the first moment of his sickness and expressed his commitment with the Revolution.

From the moment Cuba sent its first medical brigade to Chile after the earthquake that hit the South American nation in 1960 up until now over 325 thousand health professionals in over one hundred nations have contributed to the wellbeing of humanity.