The doctor, Peter Stafford, 39, had been in isolation at Charité Hospital in Berlin. On June 6, medical staff announced that he had made a full recovery and had been cleared to resume his normal life.
Stafford had been working in the DRC as a surgeon for a Christian medical organization. Reports indicate that he became infected with Ebola while operating on a patient carrying the virus in eastern DRC, before the outbreak was officially declared on May 15.
After testing positive for the disease, he was evacuated from the DRC to Germany aboard a specially equipped medical aircraft.
The doctor said that his treatment included an experimental therapy currently being tested for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
His family, consisting of his wife and four children, had also been placed under quarantine because they were considered potential contacts. They have since been released after showing no signs of infection.
Stafford expressed gratitude to the hospital and its staff for the care he received, but said his thoughts remain with people in the DRC who continue to battle the outbreak without access to similar medical treatment.
He said:
“Words are not enough to express my gratitude […] my thoughts remain with the people of Congo who do not have the opportunity to receive the kind of care that I received.”
Despite Stafford’s recovery, the DRC recently announced that 488 people have been infected, including 86 deaths linked to the outbreak. Meanwhile, Uganda has confirmed 19 cases, with two deaths attributed to the disease.
