German hospital discharges US man cured of Ebola infection

A U.S. surgeon, identified in reports as Dr. Peter Stafford, has been released from a German hospital after successfully recovering from Ebola. He spent 17 days at the Charite public hospital in Berlin receiving medical care for the often-deadly infection he contracted while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Stafford, who works for the Christian missionary group Serge, was operating on an Ebola patient in eastern DRC before the outbreak was officially declared. He contracted the illness, which spreads through bodily fluids and close contact. The Bundibugyo strain prevalent in this epidemic lacks approved vaccines or treatments. Stafford's recovery included "experimental therapies currently being trialled for this type of virus," according to a hospital statement.

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words cannot adequately express my gratitude

Expressing his gratitude, Stafford stated, "words cannot adequately express my gratitude." However, he also reflected on the disparity in care, adding, "our thoughts remain with the people in the Congo who do not have access to such care." His wife and five children, who had been in quarantine as high-risk contacts, were also discharged in good health.

The Ebola outbreak, affecting the DRC and neighboring Uganda, has resulted in a total of 471 infections and 84 deaths, according to WHO figures. The World Health Organization has declared an international public health emergency, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warning it could become the largest epidemic on record. The virus can cause a fatal hemorrhagic fever, with the current strain having a fatality rate of up to 50 percent.

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our thoughts remain with the people in the Congo who do not have access to such care.