US doctor who contracted Ebola in the DRC flown to Germany for treatment

An American surgeon infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was flown to Germany for treatment with his wife and four children. The World Health Organization warned that the outbreak’s scale and speed are increasing. Authorities reported at least 134 suspected deaths and more than 500 cases of hemorrhagic Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved treatments or vaccines. The outbreak has reached urban areas and was declared a public health emergency requiring international response. The surgeon previously operated on a patient before the outbreak was detected, and the patient died the next day without Ebola testing. The surgeon later developed symptoms and tested positive. Family members are being monitored for symptoms.

"An American doctor who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been flown to Germany for treatment, along with his wife and four children, as the World Health Organization warned of the scale and speed of the outbreak. Authorities have reported at least 134 suspected deaths and more than 500 cases of the hemorrhagic Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved treatments or vaccines. The outbreak, which has spread into urban areas, has been declared a public health emergency requiring international response."

"Dr Peter Stafford, a surgeon and leader of the Christian missionary group Serge, has said he unknowingly operated on a patient with Ebola before the outbreak was detected. His wife, Rebekah Stafford, also a doctor, and their children, are being monitored for symptoms of the disease. The infected surgeon was barely able to stand on his own when he departed for Germany, according to two leaders of the Christian missionary group where he worked."

"Stafford worked at Nyankunde hospital in the DRC's Ituri province, where the Africa centers for disease control first confirmed the Ebola outbreak. He had operated on a 33-year-old patient with severe abdominal pain. Doctors at first believed the patient had a gallbladder infection but, according to Myhre, Stafford did an abdominal procedure and found that the gallbladder was normal and closed him up, but this patient subsequently died the next day."

"The patient was buried before he could be tested for Ebola, but Stafford developed symptoms and tested positive on Sunday, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Myhre described Stafford as a very meticulous professional, and for every surgical case he does, he w"

Read at www.theguardian.com