Ebola Outbreak: US Doctor Who Contracted The Bundibugyo Strain, Discharged From Berlin Hospital Here's What We Know

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The US doctor who contracted the Ebola virus while working on a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been released from a hospital in Germany after recovering from the potentially deadly disease.

Peter Stafford was working with the missionary group Serge in the DRC when he contracted the rare strain of the Ebola virus, CBS News reported on Saturday (local time). Stafford was evacuated to a hospital in Berlin to receive care on 20 May, according to the group. His wife, who is also a doctor and was volunteering with the same group, was also evacuated and quarantined, along with her four children.

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Stafford received treatment at the Charité hospital in Berlin, one of the top hospitals in Europe. According to a statement from the hospital, he received "antiviral therapy and additional supportive medical measures during the first week." The statement added that his condition improved consistently over the course of his treatment.

The hospital further stated, "The initially high viral load decreased substantially under antiviral treatment and supportive care. Since May 30, no virus has been detected in the daily follow-up tests. In accordance with internationally accepted criteria-complete absence of symptoms for more than 72 hours and negative virus detection in repeated PCR tests-the competent public health authority lifted the isolation order today at 12:00 PM."

Charité hospital noted that the US doctor's wife and children, who were also quarantined, did not develop any symptoms of Ebola, adding that Stafford was reunited with his family on Saturday.

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According to a Bloomberg report, researchers at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC ) on Friday issued a warning that the current Ebola outbreak could become one of the largest epidemics of the disease ever recorded if control measures fail to accelerate.

Public health workers have struggled to contain the outbreak in the war-scarred region, where years of conflict have displaced over five million people. Travel restrictions between Congo, Uganda, and other nations have made it more difficult to quickly transport doctors and aid. Additionally, cuts to United States public health and foreign aid resources have hindered the response.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that while the US wants to send resources to the outbreak, the nation's“number one” priority is to keep Ebola out. Washington has said it will open a quarantine facility in Kenya to monitor exposed Americans and send any infected person to Europe for treatment. The move has been paused by a court in Kenya, however.

The US has added travel restrictions for people coming from Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, including people with green cards, and has set up testing centres at four US airports.

Also Read | India bans cross-border transportation of Ebola-infected human remains

Apart from the US, several other countries, including Canada, have also announced travel restrictions.

Ebola outbreak

Health authorities have raised alarm over the Bundibugyo Ebola virus outbreak in Congo, which has now crossed into neighbouring Uganda. Officials believe the outbreak may be more widespread than current figures indicate. Unlike the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, the Bundibugyo variant has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

According to official data from the health ministries of Congo and Uganda, as of Thursday, 452 confirmed cases and 82 confirmed deaths had been reported in Congo, while 19 confirmed cases and two confirmed deaths had been reported in Uganda as of Friday.

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