据一个国际基督教传教组织称，在疫情爆发期间，一名在刚果民主共和国工作的美国医生的埃博拉病毒检测呈阳性。
该组织周一表示，彼得·斯塔福德博士是传教组织Serge的一名医疗传教士，他在尼安昆德医院治疗病人时受到辐射。
Serge在一份声明中说，他“在出现与病毒相符的症状后”寻求检测。
据该组织称，斯塔福德自2023年以来一直在尼安昆德医院与谢尔盖一起服务。Serge周一表示，包括Stafford的妻子在内的另外两名Serge医疗传教士在疫情爆发时正在该地区治疗患者，目前仍无症状。
Serge的高级任务主管乔尔·希尔顿(Joel Hylton)在一份声明中说:“我们的医疗团队在世界上最苛刻的环境中工作，为获得医疗保健服务有限的弱势群体服务。”“我们非常感谢他们对刚果民主共和国人民的奉献，我们对他们在目前的威胁下所经受的苦难深感痛惜。我们同样关切我们在该地区面临同样风险的刚果同事和朋友。”
美国疾病控制和预防中心(CDC)周一证实，至少有一名在刚果民主共和国工作的美国人的埃博拉病毒检测呈阳性，但没有确认此人的身份。
CDC埃博拉应对事件经理Satish K. Pillai博士告诉记者，该人在周末出现症状，周日晚些时候检测呈阳性。
皮莱补充说，这名患者和其他六名高危接触者正被转移到德国接受治疗，并强调美国公众面临的风险仍然很低。
皮莱说:“鉴于以前护理埃博拉患者的经验，加上飞行时间大大缩短，这使我们能够迅速将这些人送到护理点。”
皮莱说，美国疾病控制和预防中心已经通过其在刚果民主共和国和乌干达的国家办事处启动了紧急行动中心，并正在部署亚特兰大总部要求的技术专家。
疾病预防控制中心周一早些时候表示，正准备与国土安全部协调，限制来自中非部分地区的游客入境，这些地区已宣布爆发埃博拉疫情。
非美国护照持有者如果在过去21天内到过刚果民主共和国、乌干达或南苏丹，将面临入境限制。
此举是根据《公共卫生服务法》第42条实施的，该法案允许疾病预防控制中心主任暂停个人进入美国，以保护公共健康。
该命令有效期为30天，不适用于美国公民或合法永久居民。
疾病预防控制中心表示，它还在与航空公司、国际合作伙伴和入境口岸官员协调，以识别和管理可能接触埃博拉病毒的旅客，并在全国范围内加强接触者追踪、实验室检测能力和医院准备等措施。
周日，疾病预防控制中心在一份声明中表示，“一小部分美国人”直接受到刚果民主共和国爆发的埃博拉病毒的影响。
“疾病预防控制中心正在与美国其他机构合作，协调美国人的安全撤离，”疾病预防控制中心说。该机构没有确认受影响的人数，暴露的类型或是否有人出现症状。
“我们不讨论或评论个人的处置，”皮莱周日说。“这是一个高度动态的情况，在这一点上，我想说的是，我们将继续评估，我们将继续向您通报更多信息。”
美国国务院周一表示其官员正在与美国军方和疾病预防控制中心合作，“根据评估的暴露和健康需求，对受影响的美国人进行潜在的遣返。”
美国驻英国大使馆刚果民主共和国、卢旺达、南苏丹和乌干达美国国务院表示，已经启动“监控小组”跟踪事态发展，并与受影响地区的美国人进行沟通。一;一个最初的1300万美元外援它说，还动员了“立即反应工作”，包括“支持监测、实验室能力、风险沟通、安全埋葬、出入境筛查和临床病例管理”。
卫生部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪周一告诉美国广播公司新闻，他的机构正在“努力”应对埃博拉疫情。
周六，世界卫生组织在一份声明中表示，刚果民主共和国和乌干达的埃博拉疫情构成了“国际关注的突发公共卫生事件”
截至周日，刚果民主共和国有10例确诊埃博拉病例和336例疑似病例。在刚果民主共和国有88例疑似死亡病例，在乌干达有两例确诊病例和一例确诊死亡病例，均来自曾去过刚果民主共和国的人。
埃博拉病毒通过直接接触感染者的体液传播，不会通过偶然接触或空气传播。
“疾病预防控制中心在应对埃博拉疫情方面拥有丰富的经验和专业知识，”疾病预防控制中心代理主任Jay Bhattacharya博士周五在与记者的电话会议上说。“这是一次大规模爆发，我们昨天才得到通知。”
他补充说，“我们绝对致力于确保他们能够获得所需的资源。我们过去曾帮助应对过其他埃博拉疫情...我们有很多来之不易的教训。这里的关键是要知道我们绝对参与其中。”
据世卫组织称，这是自20世纪70年代埃博拉病毒出现以来，刚果民主共和国第17次爆发埃博拉病毒。
世卫组织表示，这种埃博拉病毒是由本迪布焦病毒引起的，目前没有治疗方法或疫苗。
世卫组织已宣布针对之前的埃博拉疫情以及新冠肺炎和mpox进入国际公共卫生紧急状态。
American doctor tests positive for Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak
An American doctor working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has tested positive for Ebola amid the outbreak, according to an international Christian missions organization.
Dr. Peter Stafford, a medical missionary with the missions organization Serge, was exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital, the group said Monday.
He sought testing "after presenting symptoms consistent with the virus," Serge said in a statement.
Stafford has served at Nyankunde Hospital with Serge since 2023, according to the organization. Two other Serge medical missionaries, including Stafford's wife, were treating patients in the region when the outbreak began and remain asymptomatic, Serge said Monday.
"Our medical teams labor in some of the most demanding settings in the world, serving vulnerable communities who have limited access to healthcare," Joel Hylton, Serge's senior director of mission, said in a statement. "We are profoundly grateful for their dedication to the people of the DRC, and we deeply lament the hardship they are enduring under this current threat. Our concern extends equally to our Congolese colleagues and friends in the region who face these same risks."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Monday that at least one American working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has tested positive for Ebola, but did not identify that person.
Dr. Satish K. Pillai, incident manager for the CDC's Ebola response, told reporters that the individual developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday.
Pillai added that the patient and six other high-risk contacts are being moved to Germany for care and stressed that the risk to the U.S. general public remains low.
"Given the previous experience for caring for Ebola patients, coupled with the flight times being significantly shorter, this allows us to get these persons to points of care quickly," Pillai said.
Pillai said the CDC has activated its Emergency Operations Center through its country offices in the DRC and in Uganda, and is deploying technical experts that have been requested from Atlanta headquarters.
The CDC said earlier Monday that it is preparing to restrict entry for travelers arriving from parts of central Africa where an Ebola outbreak has been declared, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
Non-U.S. passport holders will face entry restrictions if they have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the previous 21 days.
The move is being carried out under Title 42 of the Public Health Services Act, which allows the CDC director to suspend entry of individuals into the U.S. to protect public health.
The order will be in effect for 30 days and does not apply to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
The CDC said it is also coordinating with airlines, international partners and port-of-entry officials to identify and manage travelers with possible Ebola exposure as well as enhancing measures like contact tracing, laboratory testing capacity and hospital readiness nationwide.
On Sunday, the CDC said in a statement that a "small number of Americans" are directly affected by an Ebola outbreak occurring in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"The CDC is working with other U.S. agencies to coordinate the safe withdrawal of the Americans," the CDC said. The agency did not confirm the number of people affected, the type of exposure or whether any individuals had experienced symptoms.
"We don't discuss or comment on individual dispositions," Pillai said Sunday. "It is a highly dynamic situation, and at this point, what I would say is, we continue to assess, we will continue to keep you posted as we learn more."
The State Department said Monday thatits officials are working with the U.S. military and the CDC on "potential repatriation of affected Americans, based on assessed exposure and health needs."
U.S. embassies in theDemocratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan and Ugandahave started "monitoring groups" to track developments and communicate with Americans in the impacted areas, the State Department said. Aninitial $13 million in foreign aidhas also been mobilized for "immediate response efforts," including "supporting surveillance, laboratory capacity, risk communication, safe burials, entry and exit screening, and clinical case management," it said.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told ABC News on Monday that his agency is "working on" the Ebola outbreak.
On Saturday, the World Health Organization said in a statement that the Ebola outbreak in the DRC and Uganda constituted a "public health emergency of international concern."
As of Sunday, there were 10 confirmed Ebola cases and 336 suspected cases in the DRC. There had been 88 suspected deaths in the DRC, as well as two confirmed cases and one confirmed death in Uganda from people who had traveled to the DRC.
Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person and does not spread through casual contact or air.
"CDC has extensive experience and expertise in responding to Ebola outbreaks," CDC acting director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said on a call with reporters on Friday. "It is a large outbreak, and we were just informed yesterday about it."
He added, "We're absolutely committed to making sure that they can get resources as they need. We have helped with other Ebola outbreaks in the past ... we have lots of hard-earned lessons. The key thing here is to know that we are absolutely involved."
This is the DRC's 17th outbreak of Ebola since the disease emerged in the 1970s, according to the WHO.
This strain of Ebola is caused by Bundibugyo virus, for which there are no therapeutics or vaccines, the WHO said.
The WHO has declared international public health emergencies over previous Ebola outbreaks, as well as COVID-19 and mpox.
