American medical missionary Peter Stafford returned to the United States on Monday after recovering from a case of Ebola he contracted while serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Stafford, his wife, and his four children are back home after the doctor tested positive for Ebola while working with patients in Congo’s Ituri province before the outbreak was identified, according to Serge, the international Christian missions organization he belongs to. The organization revealed on May 18 that Stafford had contracted the often-deadly disease, and he was later transported to Germany for emergency treatment at Berlin’s Charite University Hospital, along with his family.
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“I am filled with gratitude to God for preserving my life, to all those who prayed on my behalf, and to the many medical providers who cared for me. I am feeling well and thankful to be reunited with Rebekah and the kids,” Stafford said in a statement. “Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic and for the ongoing efforts to control the disease.”
Stafford, 39, was one of three Serge medical missionaries who were treating patients in the region when the outbreak was identified, according to the group. Days before the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the outbreak, Stafford operated on a patient at Nyankunde Hospital who he thought had a gallbladder infection, but was later believed to have most likely died of Ebola.
After being diagnosed with Ebola, Stafford’s condition initially declined rapidly,” and by the morning of his evacuation, “he could not stand on his own,” the missionary group said.
On May 21, the doctor remained “critically ill” after he was evacuated to Charite’s special isolation ward the previous day for specialized treatment. His wife, also a doctor who was “potentially exposed” to Ebola while treating the same patient, and his children were also transported, though they remained asymptomatic.
“Before I was evacuated, I was feeling really concerned I wasn’t going to make it,” Stafford said. “And now I’m cautiously optimistic.”
By June 6, Stafford was on the mend. That day, he and his family were released from Charite after the missionary doctor tested negative for Ebola and spent the necessary amount of time in isolation.
The Trump administration reportedly refused to allow Stafford back into the U.S. during his illness, though Washington denied the claim.
The last major Ebola epidemic occurred between 2014 and 2016, primarily within West Africa, when nearly 28,000 people were infected with the virus. The disease eventually spread to the U.S., the United Kingdom, and Italy, killing over 11,000 people before it died out.
The latest epidemic is the 17th outbreak of Ebola virus in Congo, which is Africa’s second-largest country. The health ministry first confirmed cases on May 15, after the disease spread undetected for weeks.
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It poses a very low risk to the U.S., according to health authorities. However, in the Congo and surrounding areas, it has been deadly.
Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba said Monday that the DRC has now recorded 808 confirmed Ebola cases and 192 deaths. In neighboring Uganda, at least 19 cases and two deaths have been confirmed, officials said.
