US national infected during outbreak
An American tested positive for Ebola after being exposed while working with a medical missionary group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, US officials say.
The US national was being evacuated to Germany for treatment after developing symptoms over the weekend, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
At least 131 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo, with more than 513 cases suspected, officials have said.
The US CDC said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed.
Medical missionary group identifies doctor
The agency did not identify the American working in DR Congo who had been stricken with the virus on Sunday.
But medical missionary group Serge said later on Monday that one of its US doctors, Peter Stafford, had tested positive for Ebola.
He was exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital in Bunia, where he has worked since 2023, said the charity.
Two other doctors from the group who were exposed while treating patients, including Stafford’s wife, Dr Rebekah Stafford, did not have symptoms and were following quarantine protocols, the group said in a statement.
Serge said the Staffords and their four young children were in a location where they can undergo risk monitoring and receive specialised medical care.
US imposes new travel restrictions
The CDC issued a new order on Monday blocking foreign travellers from entering the US if they have visited a country affected by the outbreak in the past 21 days, including DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan.
CDC officials emphasised that the risk to the American public remained low. The CDC is sending staff from Atlanta to the epicentre of the outbreak to help with the response.
President Donald Trump said on Monday he was “concerned” by the outbreak in DR Congo, but added he believed it had not spread to the US.
The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international emergency.
What is Ebola?
The current strain of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no approved drugs or vaccines.
Ebola is a severe viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids from infected people or animals. Symptoms can appear between two and 21 days after exposure and often begin suddenly with fever, headache and fatigue.
Ebola viruses normally infect animals, particularly fruit bats, but outbreaks among humans can begin when infected animals are handled or consumed.
Concerns over wider spread
The WHO has said the outbreak in DR Congo’s eastern Ituri province is a public health emergency of international concern, although it does not currently meet the criteria of a pandemic.
The agency warned it could potentially become “a much larger outbreak” than currently detected and reported, with significant risk of local and regional spread.
More than 28,600 people were infected during the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the largest outbreak since the virus was discovered in 1976. The epidemic spread to several countries, including the US, UK and Italy, and killed more than 11,000 people.
Source: BBC
Also read: At least six Americans exposed to Ebola during DR Congo outbreak
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