Germany is preparing to treat a U.S. missionary who contracted Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said Tuesday, as the country battles a deadly outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain.
The patient, identified by the Serge Christian mission organization as medical missionary Peter Stafford, is expected to be admitted to a special isolation unit at Berlin’s Charité university hospital, Germany’s health ministry said.
The ministry said U.S. authorities had requested assistance and that arrangements were being made to transfer and treat the patient in Germany.
“Arrangements are currently being made to admit and treat the patient in Germany,” a health ministry spokesperson said, adding that Germany has a network of experts trained to manage and care for patients with highly infectious diseases.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that an American citizen had tested positive for Ebola while working in the DRC and was being moved to Germany for treatment.
The outbreak in eastern DRC has killed 131 people and has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organization. Health officials say the current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain, a less common form of Ebola virus disease.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials. The disease can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding, and is often fatal without rapid medical care.