A US citizen has contracted the Ebola virus while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Monday.
The individual developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday evening. Preparations are under way to transfer him to Germany for treatment, according to Satish Pillai, who oversees the CDC’s Ebola response.
Six other Americans will be moved to Germany for monitoring.
The American Christian missionary organisation Serge had reported earlier that one of its medical workers had tested positive for the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in Bunia, a city in the DRC’s Ituri province.
The infected person is one of three US physicians from the organisation who were treating patients in the area, located in the extreme northeast of the DRC, at the onset of the new outbreak.
According to Serge, the other two doctors, who include the spouse of the infected individual, have not exhibited symptoms but are currently under quarantine.
On Sunday, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda a global health emergency. It estimated that there are roughly 300 reported cases linked to the virus so far, with 88 deaths.
Despite advances in vaccines and treatments, the Ebola virus remains highly lethal. Over the past 50 years, haemorrhagic fever caused by the virus has claimed 15,000 lives in Africa.
The DRC's deadliest epidemic occurred between 2018 and 2020, resulting in nearly 2,300 deaths and 3,500 infections.
While previous outbreaks were largely driven by the Zaïre strain, no vaccine is currently available for the Bundibugyo strain.
The virus is typically transmitted through direct contact with infected individuals or their body fluids.
