American doctor treated for Ebola in Berlin discharged after experimental therapy clears the virus

Recovery in Berlin

An American doctor who contracted the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been discharged from Berlin's Charité hospital in good health. Peter Stafford, a 39-year-old surgeon with the Christian missionary organisation Serge, was admitted on 20 May with pronounced symptoms and a high viral load. After a combination of antiviral therapy and supportive care, the virus was no longer detectable in daily follow-up tests from 30 May. The responsible health authority lifted the isolation order at midday on 6 June, in line with international standards.

I received first-class care, including experimental therapies currently being trialled for this type of virus.

Family quarantine ends

Stafford's wife, also a doctor, and their four children were classified as high-risk contacts and placed in a separate section of the special isolation unit. None developed symptoms, and laboratory tests detected no virus. Their quarantine was lifted at the same time on Saturday, 21 days after their last high-risk contact. The family had been flown to Berlin from Uganda on a special aircraft at the request of the US government, under strict safety precautions.

Experimental treatment approach

The Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak has no approved vaccine or specific therapy. The Charité team treated Stafford with a combination of antibodies and the antiviral drug remdesivir, produced by the US-based Gilead Sciences. Professor Leif Erik Sander, director of the infectious diseases department, described the special isolation unit with its highest safety standards as an indispensable element in managing highly pathogenic infections.

In the face of increasing global risks, this case highlights the crucial importance of such specialised structures for health security.

Outbreak in Central Africa

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May, its second-highest alert level. In its latest daily update, the WHO recorded 452 confirmed Ebola cases in the DRC, including 82 deaths, since the epidemic was declared three weeks ago. Neighbouring Uganda has reported 19 confirmed cases with two deaths. The number of suspected cases across both countries had temporarily risen above 900 but has since declined sharply. The Bundibugyo strain causes severe haemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate reaching 50 percent.

My thoughts are with the people in Congo who do not have access to such care.