An American doctor working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has tested positive for the Ebola variant for which there are still no vaccines, and which has caused an outbreak in Africa with more than 100 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this Monday.
The sick doctor, who was exposed to the disease as part of his work in the Congo, developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive on Sunday, said Satish Pillai, a doctor who leads the CDC’s response to the current Ebola outbreak.
(US invokes Title 42 to restrict entry of passengers from countries affected by Ebola outbreak)
“The CDC has been working hand in hand with the State Department to transfer the American for treatment and care to Germany and other contact risk persons for monitoring,” Pillai reported at a press conference.
In addition to the doctor confirmed with Ebola, who is already showing symptoms, six other Americans are being transferred to Germany for treatment or observation, the agency said.
CDC officials did not immediately respond to questions about which facility or facilities in Germany they are being transferred to, or what the current status of the positive patient is.
More than 100 people have died in two African provinces as complaints emerge about alleged late attention to the outbreak by local authorities.
The sick American doctor is one of the confirmed cases in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, said Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, medical director of the Congolese National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congo.
The United States announced this Monday the invocation of Title 42 of the public health law to restrict the entry into the country of passengers from African nations hit by the outbreak.
Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged Americans traveling to the Congo and Uganda to avoid contact with people who have symptoms such as fever and muscle pain.
and AP.
