U.S. Aid Worker Tests Positive for Ebola in Congo

An American aid worker employed by Samaritan’s Purse has tested positive for Ebola in Congo, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. The worker has been in isolation since Monday and is receiving care at one of the organization’s treatment centers in Ituri province.

The individual had been assisting with logistics in Bunia for the past month and had no direct patient contact. The CDC stated it is working with the employer, U.S. agencies, public health authorities and Congolese partners to prevent further transmission and identify close contacts.

This marks the second confirmed infection of an American in the current outbreak. A missionary doctor tested positive shortly after the outbreak was declared on May 15, was evacuated to Charité University Hospital in Berlin, received experimental treatment, recovered and returned to the United States in June.

Congolese health authorities have recorded 1,830 confirmed cases and 648 deaths as of this past week.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention described the outbreak as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded on the continent. Cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda, where the World Health Organization reported 20 confirmed infections and two deaths. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Clinical trials for treatments began last week. The virus is believed to have circulated for as long as five months before official detection on May 15. Cases were detected this past week in two new provinces, including the transport hub of Kisangani.

CBS News reported that the Trump administration requested $1.4 billion in supplemental funding from Congress to respond to the outbreak in Congo, Uganda and elsewhere. The same report noted that an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo has displaced thousands of people and that mistrust and attacks on health centers have hampered response efforts.