American Doctor Tests Positive for Ebola While Treating Patients in Virus-Hit DR Congo Region
An American doctor serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has tested positive for Ebola during the ongoing outbreak, according to the international Christian missions organization Serge.
American doctor in DR Congo tests positive for Ebola as CDC intensifies response and travel restrictions.
The organization confirmed Monday that Dr. Peter Stafford, a medical missionary working at Nyankunde Hospital, was exposed to the virus while treating patients. Serge said Stafford sought testing after developing symptoms associated with Ebola.
Serge
Stafford has been serving at Nyankunde Hospital since 2023. According to Serge, two other medical missionaries, including Stafford’s wife, were caring for patients in the region when the outbreak began. Both remain asymptomatic.
Addressing the situation, Joel Hylton, Serge’s senior director of mission, said:
"Our medical teams labor in some of the most demanding settings in the world, serving vulnerable communities who have limited access to healthcare. We are profoundly grateful for their dedication to the people of the DRC, and we deeply lament the hardship they are enduring under this current threat. Our concern extends equally to our Congolese colleagues and friends in the region who face these same risks."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also confirmed Monday that at least one American working in the DRC had tested positive for Ebola, though the agency did not identify the individual.
Dr. Satish K. Pillai, who manages the CDC’s Ebola response, said the patient developed symptoms over the weekend and received a positive test result late Sunday. He explained that the patient and six other high-risk contacts are being transferred to Germany for treatment.
"Given the previous experience for caring for Ebola patients, coupled with the flight times being significantly shorter, this allows us to get these persons to points of care quickly," Pillai said.
Pillai emphasized that the risk to the general U.S. population remains low. He also said the CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center through offices in the DRC and Uganda while deploying technical experts from its Atlanta headquarters.
The CDC announced additional public health measures, including preparations to restrict entry for travelers arriving from Ebola-affected areas in central Africa. Working alongside the Department of Homeland Security, the agency said non-U.S. passport holders who have been in the DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan within the previous 21 days will face entry restrictions.
The restrictions are being implemented under Title 42 of the Public Health Services Act, which permits the CDC director to suspend entry into the United States when necessary to protect public health. The order will remain in place for 30 days and does not apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
Federal health officials said they are also coordinating with airlines, international partners, and port-of-entry authorities to identify travelers who may have been exposed to Ebola. Enhanced measures include contact tracing, laboratory testing capabilities, and hospital preparedness efforts across the country.
Earlier, the CDC stated that a "small number of Americans" had been directly affected by the outbreak in the DRC.
"The CDC is working with other U.S. agencies to coordinate the safe withdrawal of the Americans," the agency said.
When asked about affected individuals, Pillai said:
"We don't discuss or comment on individual dispositions. It is a highly dynamic situation, and at this point, what I would say is, we continue to assess, we will continue to keep you posted as we learn more."
The U.S. State Department said officials are working with the CDC and the U.S. military on the "potential repatriation of affected Americans, based on assessed exposure and health needs."
According to the department, U.S. embassies in the DRC, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda have established monitoring groups to track developments and communicate with Americans in affected areas. An initial $13 million in foreign aid has also been mobilized to support surveillance, laboratory capacity, risk communication, safe burials, screening procedures, and clinical case management.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday that his agency is actively addressing the outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Saturday that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern."
As of Sunday, authorities reported 10 confirmed Ebola cases and 336 suspected cases in the DRC. There were also 88 suspected deaths in the country. Uganda reported two confirmed cases and one confirmed death involving individuals who had traveled from the DRC.
Health officials noted that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person and does not spread through casual contact or through the air.
CDC acting director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya highlighted the agency’s experience in managing Ebola outbreaks.
"CDC has extensive experience and expertise in responding to Ebola outbreaks. It is a large outbreak, and we were just informed yesterday about it."
He added:
"We're absolutely committed to making sure that they can get resources as they need. We have helped with other Ebola outbreaks in the past ... we have lots of hard-earned lessons. The key thing here is to know that we are absolutely involved."
According to the WHO, this marks the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the disease first emerged in the 1970s. The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo virus strain, for which there are no therapeutics or vaccines. The WHO has previously declared international public health emergencies for Ebola outbreaks, as well as COVID-19 and mpox.
