US Doctor Recovers from Ebola in Germany Amid Surge in Democratic Republic of Congo Cases

A US Doctor Recovering from Ebola Treatment at Berlin’s Charite Hospital

A doctor from the United States who contracted Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo has made a significant recovery after treatment at Berlin’s Charite public hospital. Peter Stafford, 39, was admitted to the hospital on May 20 with a confirmed diagnosis of Bundibugyo virus, a strain of Ebola identified in the ongoing outbreak in east and central Africa.

Stafford, who worked as a surgeon for a Christian missionary group in the DRC, is reported to be in good health and has been cleared to leave quarantine. He was flown from Uganda to Berlin on a special aircraft and received treatment that included experimental therapies currently being trialled for this type of virus.

His wife and four children, who had no symptoms but were initially classified as “high-risk contacts”, also arrived in Berlin shortly after him and are now out of quarantine. The hospital’s director, Leif Erik Sander, described Stafford’s recovery as a “significant therapeutic success”.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an international public health emergency for the outbreak, which has spread to neighbouring Uganda and resulted in 488 confirmed cases, including 86 deaths, in the DRC. Uganda has reported 19 cases and two deaths, with the country largely closed off its western border with the DRC to curb cross-border contagion.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have warned that the outbreak could swell to become the largest Ebola epidemic on record, rivalling the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa.

Source: Al Jazeera