A United States doctor who contracted the Ebola virus while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been evacuated to Germany for specialised treatment, as global health authorities intensify efforts to contain the outbreak that has now claimed at least 131 lives.
According to BBC reports, the infected American medic is currently receiving care in a high-level isolation unit at Berlin’s Charité Hospital, following confirmation of the infection by German health authorities.
The doctor has been identified by a medical missionary organisation as Dr. Peter Stafford, who had been serving at Nyankunde Hospital in Bunia since 2023. The organisation said he tested positive after treating Ebola patients in eastern DR Congo.
His wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford, along with another medical worker who was also exposed, are currently asymptomatic and have been placed under quarantine in line with strict monitoring protocols.
Reports also indicate that the Staffords and their four children have been moved to a secure location for observation and care.
Health officials say the outbreak in DR Congo continues to worsen, with more than 513 suspected cases recorded alongside 131 confirmed deaths.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the situation an international public health emergency, warning that the spread could be wider than currently documented.
The current outbreak is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific antiviral treatment.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it is coordinating the evacuation of at least six other Americans who may have been exposed to the virus in the country.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that Washington has approved $14 million in emergency funding to support rural health facilities responding to the outbreak, while also criticising what he described as a delayed response from the WHO.
He noted that the outbreak is occurring in a remote, conflict-affected region, which has made access and containment more difficult.
The CDC has also introduced temporary travel restrictions, barring foreign nationals who have recently visited Ebola-affected countries — including DR Congo, Uganda and South Sudan — within the past 21 days from entering the United States.
US President Donald Trump expressed concern over the situation but said there was currently no evidence of the virus spreading within the United States.
The Ebola outbreak remains concentrated in Ituri Province, an area heavily affected by ongoing insecurity and limited healthcare access, both of which have slowed response efforts.
Ebola, first identified in 1976, is a highly infectious disease spread through contact with bodily fluids and can cause severe fever, internal bleeding, and organ failure.
The deadliest recorded outbreak occurred between 2014 and 2016 in West Africa, when more than 28,000 people were infected and over 11,000 died across Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
