U.S. doctor with Ebola released from German hospital after recovering from deadly virus

The U.S. doctor who contracted Ebola while working on a humanitarian mission in Congo has been released from a hospital in Germany after recovering from the potentially deadly disease.

Dr. Peter Stafford was working with the missionary group Serge in the Congo when he was infected with the virus, the group said. He was evacuated to a hospital in Berlin to receive care on May 20, according to the group. His wife, also a doctor volunteering with Serge, and their four children were also evacuated and quarantined.

Stafford was treated at Charité hospital in Berlin, one of the top hospitals in Europe, where he received “antiviral therapy and additional supportive medical measures during the first week,” the hospital said in a statement Saturday. His condition consistently improved over the course of his treatment, the hospital said. 

“The initially high viral load decreased substantially under antiviral treatment and supportive care,” Charité said Saturday. “Since May 30, no virus has been detected in the daily follow-up tests. In accordance with internationally accepted criteria-complete absence of symptoms for more than 72 hours and negative virus detection in repeated PCR tests-the competent public health authority lifted the isolation order today at 12:00 PM.”

While quarantined, neither Stafford’s wife, Rebekah, nor their four children ever developed symptoms of Ebola, according to Charité. He was reunited with his five family members on Saturday.

The Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in Congo, which has spread to neighboring Uganda, is causing serious concern among health officials and is likely larger than what has officially been reported, they have warned. The Bundibugyo strain is significantly less common than the Zaire strain of the virus and has no vaccines or treatment.