A U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday, as the Central African nation continues to battle a rapidly growing outbreak.
The CDC said it is coordinating with the infected person’s employer, U.S. government agencies, public health authorities, and Congolese partners to stop the virus from spreading further and to track down anyone who may have had close contact with the individual. No additional details about the patient were released.
Earlier this week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that this outbreak is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever documented on the continent. So far, Congo has recorded 1,830 confirmed cases, including 648 deaths. The disease has also spread to neighboring Uganda.
This is not the first American to be affected during this outbreak. In the outbreak’s opening week, an American doctor working in Congo also tested positive and was flown to Germany for medical care.
Trump administration officials had initially announced plans to send Americans exposed to Ebola overseas to a new facility in Kenya, rather than bringing them back to the United States. However, those plans have since been put on hold following a ruling by a Kenyan court.
Congolese authorities officially declared the new Ebola outbreak on May 15, after the World Health Organization determined the disease had been spreading for weeks before it was formally detected.
The current outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment available.
Efforts to bring the outbreak under control have faced serious obstacles, including a lack of adequate funding, attacks on health care facilities, and ongoing armed conflict in eastern Congo, where the outbreak is centered.
Last week, researchers launched highly anticipated clinical trials aimed at finding an effective treatment for the Bundibugyo virus.
