Ebola-Infected U.S. Doctor Shows Improvement in Berlin as Congo Outbreak Nears 600 Suspected Cases
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · May 21
Ebola-Infected U.S. Doctor Shows Improvement in Berlin as Congo Outbreak Nears 600 Suspected Cases
11 articles · Updated · CBS New York · May 21
Dr. Peter Stafford, an American surgeon infected with Ebola in eastern Congo, said he is “cautiously optimistic” after evacuation to a Berlin hospital and was feeling better Thursday than the day before.
Serge said Stafford was exposed during surgery at Nyankunde Hospital in Bunia; he remains critically ill but not acutely deteriorating, with labs trending slightly in the right direction after supportive IV treatment.
His wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford, and their four children were also evacuated to Germany and are asymptomatic under isolation and monitoring. A third Serge doctor, Patrick LaRochelle, is quarantined in Prague after possible exposure.
The outbreak has spread from Congo to Uganda and South Sudan, with the WHO reporting nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths; officials say the true toll is likely higher.
This is only the third known Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, and health officials say there is no approved vaccine or treatment for the strain, which carries a roughly 30% to 50% fatality rate.
An American surgeon contracted Ebola during an operation. What critical safety breach is endangering other frontline doctors in the Congo?
The WHO advises against Ebola travel bans, yet the U.S. just imposed one. Which strategy will actually contain the deadly outbreak?