US Doctor Infected with Bundibugy o ebolavirus Evacuated to Germany
An American doctor infected with Bundibugyo ebolavirus was evacuated to Germany for intensive care after being found in a very weak condition while departing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for specialised treatment.
Dr. Peter Stafford, a medical missionary for the Serge group, tested positive for Bundibugyo ebolavirus while on duty in Ituri Province, the epicentre of the outbreak. Stafford was flown to Germany on Tuesday under very tight medical security.
Dr. Scott Myhre, Director for East and Central Africa for Serge, revealed that his condition appeared very worrying at departure. He could not stand and had to be supported by medical staff wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE).
“He looked very exhausted and gravely ill,” Myhre told NBC News. During the flight from the DRC to Germany, Stafford was placed in a tubular plastic bed the size of a coffin to protect the aircraft crew from infection risk.
Exposure to the virus is believed to have occurred at Nyankunde Hospital. A few days before the outbreak was confirmed by the Africa CDC, Stafford operated on a 33-year-old patient with severe abdominal pain. Initially, the medical team suspected a gallbladder infection.
However, during the operation, the patient’s gallbladder was found to be normal. The patient died the next day and was buried before an Ebola test could be performed. It was only later realised that the patient probably died from the deadly virus.
Although Stafford was known for his meticulous use of sterile gowns, gloves, and eye protection, Myhre emphasised that standard surgical procedures are sometimes insufficient to prevent Ebola exposure in outbreak settings.
Stafford’s wife, Rebekah, who is also a doctor and helped care for the same patient, is now being monitored along with their four children. Although she has not shown symptoms, Rebekah and the children have been moved to Charité University Hospital Berlin to be near Stafford.
Additionally, another doctor named Patrick LaRochelle is also under observation after exposure via the second patient. LaRochelle has been moved to Bulovka Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic. To date, neither Rebekah nor LaRochelle have shown signs of illness.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared this outbreak a global health emergency. Bundibugyo virus is closely related to the Ebola Zaire virus responsible for the major West African epidemic of 2013–2016. (The Independent/I-2)
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