The only American known to contract Ebola in a new outbreak in central Africa is a doctor who was caring for patients in Congo, the Christian organization with which he works says.
After an Ebola outbreak recently started in Congo’s Ituri Provice, Dr. Peter Stafford “began to develop symptoms and received a positive test result for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant,” Serge, the Christian group, said in a statement on May 18.
Stafford had been working with patients at Nyankunde Hospital.
He has been “transferred for advanced medical care,” according to Serge.
The organization did not say whether he’s being cared for in Congo or another country.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials said earlier Monday that an American who had been working in Congo had tested positive for Ebola and that they were working to transport him to Germany for treatment.
The person developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late on Sunday, Dr. Satish Pillai, the CDC’s manager for responding to Ebola, told reporters on a call.
Six high-risk contacts were also going to be moved to Germany, according to Pillai.
Serge said that two other doctors with the group who were working at Nyankunde Hospital—one of whom is Stafford’s wife—were potentially exposed to Ebola but have remained asymptomatic.
The three doctors are quarantining, in line with established protocols.
The Staffords’ four young children are also in the area.
“Our hearts are with the Stafford family and with the Congolese communities facing this outbreak,” Matt Allison, executive director of Serge, said in a statement. “Peter and Rebekah have faithfully served vulnerable communities in Nyankunde with extraordinary compassion and courage.”
The State Department has urged Americans not to travel to Congo or neighboring South Sudan or Uganda amid the Ebola outbreak, and to reconsider traveling to Rwanda.
The Bundibugyo virus has no vaccine or specific treatments. Patients who contract Ebola from the virus receive supportive care, or treatment for symptoms they develop. Ebola can cause symptoms such as fever, vomiting, and bleeding.
Congolese authorities said Tuesday that there have been 131 suspected deaths and more than 500 suspected cases. They are working to confirm whether all the deaths and cases were “truly linked to the disease,” the country’s health minister said during a government meeting.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, told a gathering in Switzerland that some of the deaths have been reported among health care workers.
He said the number of cases and deaths will change in the future as operations, including testing, are increased.
“I am deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” he said.