The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in a statement Friday that an American citizen working for a humanitarian aid organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
The CDC said it is working with the patient’s employment organization, other federal agencies, and partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to prevent further transmission and identify high-risk contacts.
No other details about the patient were disclosed. CNN has reached out to the CDC and the State Department for comment.
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo rose to 1,830 in government data late Friday, including 648 deaths, Reuters reported.
There are no confirmed cases of Ebola in the United States and “the overall risk to U.S. citizens and travelers remains low,” according to the latest data published Saturday on the CDC’s website. The outbreak remains confined to remote parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring Uganda, and the risk of spreading to the United States is “considered very low,” the newspaper said.
In May, the international charity Serge reported that American Christian missionary doctor Dr. Peter Stafford had “tested positive” after “displaying symptoms consistent with the virus.”
The charity said his wife, Dr Rebecca Stafford, another doctor who was treating patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo when the outbreak began, and the Staffords’ four children, all under the age of seven, were also monitored for signs of the virus.
The family, who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2021, was evacuated to Berlin, Germany, where Stafford was isolated and treated in hospital.
“It was a tough time,” he told CNN in an exclusive interview after his recovery. “I had a high fever, felt weak and at times had trouble even walking on my own.”
Rebecca Stafford recalled being overwhelmed by the efforts around the world coming together to help her husband, and knowing her Congolese friends wouldn’t receive the same level of care.
She said the children are “in great spirits” despite the ordeal.
“Our oldest son definitely understood and said to the kids, ‘Hey, your dad has Ebola,'” she said, recalling having to explain that she couldn’t touch him or go into his room to see if he would recover.
Last month, the first Ebola case outside Africa was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the second largest outbreak on record.
The patient, who is also a humanitarian worker, tested positive in France after returning from a mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the French Ministry of Health said.
This was the first case reported in France.
