An American doctor, who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has responded well to treatment and stabilised, the Berlin hospital treating him said Wednesday. Medical missionary Dr Peter Stafford was flown to Germany for treatment last week after being infected with the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus during the current deadly outbreak there.
"The patient was intially very weakened and displayed typical symptoms of an Ebola infection," Dr Leif Erik Sander, the medical director of the Charite hospital's Department of Infectious Diseases, told reporters.
Stafford was treated with antibodies and an antiviral called remdesivir.
"The clinical development has been very positive," Sander said, adding that Stafford was "relatively stable".
Sander said although there are many unknowns with the Bundibugyo strain, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments, the team treating Stafford was encouraged by the "almost normal" lab test results and how his viral load fell quickly.
"We are optimistic that the patient can make a full recovery and that the viral infection will be beaten," Sander said.
In terms of how long Stafford will be kept in isolation, the said: "We would rather keep the isolation measures in place one day longer than one day too soon."
Stafford's wife and four children, in quarantine at the same medical facility, have no symptoms and have not tested positive, Sander said.
Germany agreed to take in Stafford for treatment following a request from the United States.
The Christian missionary organisation Serge has said that Stafford lived in the DRC with his wife Rebekah, also a doctor, and their children.
Stafford was exposed to Ebola while treating patients before the deadly outbreak was identified at a hospital in Bunia in DRC, where he had worked since 2023, Serge said.
Speaking at the same press conference, Health Minister Nina Warken said Germany had received no other requests to take in Ebola patients.
The World Health Organization has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the DRC since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, with more than 1,000 additional suspected cases.
