A medical missionary from the United States who became infected with Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo is in stable condition at a German hospital, medical officials announced Friday. The man’s wife and four children have all tested negative for the deadly virus.
Charite university hospital in Berlin reported that while the patient is not in critical condition, medical staff continue to monitor him closely due to the unpredictable nature of the disease. Hospital officials stated he is receiving care in a specialized high-security isolation facility.
“Because the course of the illness can change, he remains under close observation and is receiving treatment,” Charite university hospital said in a statement. “He is being cared for in the high-security area of the specialized isolation unit.”
The man’s family members are showing no symptoms and remain in quarantine in a different section of the medical facility. According to the hospital, initial testing found no evidence of Ebola infection in any of the family members.
The patient’s wife and four children “are currently asymptomatic and quarantined in a separate part of the unit – an initial PCR test detected no Ebola virus infection.”
The Serge Christian mission organization has identified the infected individual as Dr. Peter Stafford, who became ill while providing medical care to patients during an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Stafford had been residing in the country with his family while conducting his missionary work.
According to White House officials, the decision to transport Stafford and his family to Germany rather than the United States was made because the European location is 12 hours closer to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Hospital administrators have worked to make the isolation environment as comfortable as possible for the children involved. The medical facility noted that the young patients can visit with their father by looking through protective glass barriers, and family members are able to talk using intercom systems.
The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo involves an uncommon strain of the virus and has resulted in more than 130 deaths.
