Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey gives birth to twin boys Published duration 14 June 2019

image copyright BBC/Instagram image caption Pauline Cafferkey gave birth to two baby boys in Glasgow on Tuesday

Pauline Cafferkey, the Scottish nurse who survived the deadly Ebola virus, has given birth to twin sons.

The 43-year-old worked as a volunteer in Sierra Leone, where an epidemic killed almost 4,000 people, in 2014.

The father Robert Softley Gale, a theatre director and disability campaigner, announced the news by posting an image of the newborns on Instagram.

Their sons were born on Tuesday in Glasgow and have yet to be named.

'Life after Ebola'

In a statement Ms Cafferkey said she was overjoyed to welcome her sons into the world, saying there is "a future for those who have encountered the disease".

She said: "I would like to thank all the wonderful NHS staff who have helped me since I became ill in 2014 right through to having my babies this week.

"This shows that there is life after Ebola."

A spokeswoman for Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board said: "We are pleased to confirm, on behalf of Pauline Cafferkey and her partner, that she gave birth on Tuesday to healthy twin boys at a maternity unit within Greater Glasgow.

"Both mother and babies are doing well."

Ms Cafferkey first went to Sierra Leone as part of a team of British volunteers at the Kerry Town Ebola treatment centre.

But she fell ill with the disease after arriving back in the UK in December 2014. She recovered, but had a relapse and also developed meningitis, seriously affecting her joints and ability to walk, among other issues.

She also had to face a hearing over misconduct charges, of which she was cleared.

She returned to the West African country in May 2017 to raise funds for children orphaned by Ebola and people who survived it.

At the time she said it was "psychologically important" for her to go back.