American Doctor Infected with Ebola in DRC Flown to Germany for Treatment

(CNA Washington/Berlin, 19th, Comprehensive Foreign Report) An American citizen who contracted the Ebola virus while practicing medicine in the Democratic Republic of Congo is currently en route to Germany for treatment. According to a missionary group, the doctor was so weak he could barely stand on his own before being flown for medical care. Reuters and NBC News reported that the infected American doctor has been confirmed as medical missionary Peter Stafford, who works for the Christian missionary organization Serge. The leader of the religious group stated that Stafford had unknowingly operated on a confirmed latent Ebola patient before the local outbreak occurred. The German government confirmed earlier today that after receiving an official request for assistance from the United States, it is prepared to admit the patient to a special isolation ward at Charite University Hospital in Berlin. The current outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is of the rare Bundibugyo strain and has already claimed at least 131 lives. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently officially declared this outbreak a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern." There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, which has a fatality rate of up to 40%. However, a vaccine named Ervebo, primarily used for the Zaire strain, has shown some protective effects against the Bundibugyo strain in animal studies. The U.S. State Department announced today that it will fund the establishment of up to 50 treatment clinics in affected areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and the Republic of Congo. This will assist partners in providing emergency Ebola virus screening, triage, and isolation services, while also establishing containment zones around infected areas. This funding will primarily be disbursed through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that commercially available Ebola tests can effectively identify this virus strain and that the overall risk to the United States remains low. Regarding the upcoming World Cup, to be held from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the CDC did not directly respond to related questions but stated they are cooperating with the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) to ensure the safety of travelers and the American public throughout the event.