The only American confirmed to have contracted Ebola in the ongoing outbreak in Africa has tested negative and has been released from the hospital, officials said on June 6.
The Charité hospital in Berlin said in a statement that no virus has been detected in the patient, Dr. Peter Stafford, since May 30, 10 days after his admission.
Ebola symptoms in the patient “subsided significantly” after treatment that included “combined antiviral therapy and additional supportive medical measures,” the hospital said.
“We are very pleased with the successful course of treatment and consider this a significant therapeutic success,” Charité official Leif Erik Sander said.
Stafford’s wife and four children, who were flown with him to Germany from Congo after he tested positive for Ebola and began showing symptoms, never showed symptoms, according to the hospital.
The Staffords are both doctors with Serge, a Christian organization.
Serge said on June 6 that Stafford was without symptoms for more than 72 hours and that multiple tests came back negative, prompting his discharge. It said his family members did not show Ebola symptoms or test positive for Bundibugyo virus, the strain that is behind the outbreak in Africa.
“On behalf of our family, I would like to express our deep gratitude to God for preserving Peter’s life and to everyone who has prayed and continues to pray on our behalf,” Rebekah Stafford said in a statement released by Serge. “We are happy to report that Peter has made significant improvements over the last few days and is now testing negative for Ebola.”
Peter Stafford initially experienced a rapid decline and was unable to stand on his own. He has said that he was concerned he would die prior to being flown to Germany. After receiving care, he said he was “cautiously optimistic” that he would survive.
Congolese authorities reported on June 8 that the outbreak has climbed to 515 confirmed cases and 91 deaths. Additional cases, and several deaths, have been confirmed in neighboring Uganda.
The risk to the American public is low, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers said in a paper published June 5.
“Importation modeling by one of our partners indicates the likelihood that Ebola will be imported into the United States is low at present,” Dr. Satish Pillai, the CDC’s Ebola response manager, told reporters in a call on Friday. “If a case were imported, the risk of sustained secondary transmission in the United States is also low, given the strength of our public health system and clinical infection control measures.”
U.S. officials have imposed a number of measures to try to prevent the outbreak from spreading to the United States, including prohibiting entry for some people who have recently been to Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda.
They have said that the Stafford family, and another doctor working with Serge who was exposed to Ebola, were flown to Europe for care because it was closer than the United States.
More recently, officials have been working with the Kenyan government to establish a quarantine facility in Kenya for Americans exposed to Ebola. American Ebola patients may be flown to the United States, officials said on June 3.
Reuters contributed to this report.