Second American Ebola patient evacuated from Congo to Germany

A second American national infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was transferred to Germany for treatment, while a high-risk American contact was moved to the Czech Republic as part of the containment response.

The U.S. case was exposed while working in Congo, developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late Sunday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The World Health Organization said the American was then evacuated to Germany for care. CDC also said it began public health entry screening, entry restrictions and other measures on May 18 to reduce the chance of Ebola disease entering the United States.

The outbreak that triggered the evacuation is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a form of Ebola that WHO said has no vaccine or specific treatment, although candidates are under study. WHO classified the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on May 17, underscoring the scale of the response even as officials worked to keep transmission contained to the affected region.

WHO said the governments of Congo and Uganda were leading the response with support from the agency and its partners. The organization deployed 22 international staff to the field and released US$3.9 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies. WHO said the outbreak’s epicenter was in Ituri Province, a remote but densely populated area facing humanitarian crisis and insecurity, with cases reported in towns including Bunia and Goma.

The evacuation of American aid workers highlights how quickly the response is built around isolation, treatment and contact tracing once a case is found. It also shows the risks faced by the health workers and logisticians who keep outbreak operations moving in one of central Africa’s most unstable regions.

CDC said Bundibugyo virus disease was first identified in 2007 in Uganda, when it caused 149 suspected cases and 37 deaths. A 2012 outbreak in Congo produced 56 laboratory-confirmed cases and 17 deaths. WHO later said the current outbreak was Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in 1976, a history that has made every new infection a test of how fast the international containment system can move.