US Citizen Tests Positive for Ebola While Working in DR Congo

A US citizen employed by a humanitarian organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday, as the central African country struggles to contain what health officials have called the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded on the continent.

Patient Transferred to Frankfurt Hospital

The individual was admitted to Frankfurt University Hospital early Monday morning, entering the facility’s specialized isolation unit around 3 a.m. local time after contracting the Bundibugyo variant of the Ebola virus in Congo. The CDC said it is working with the person’s employer, US government agencies, public health authorities, and Congolese partners to prevent further transmission and identify close contacts. No additional details about the patient were released.

This is the second US citizen to test positive for Ebola during the current outbreak. In the first week of the outbreak, an American doctor working in Congo also tested positive and was transferred to Germany for treatment.

Outbreak Scale and Spread

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that the outbreak has reached 1,830 confirmed cases in Congo, including 648 deaths. Cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda. The outbreak was declared by Congolese authorities on May 15, after the disease had been transmitting for weeks before official detection, according to the World Health Organization.

The Bundibugyo variant, which is the strain driving the US citizen Ebola DR Congo outbreak, currently has no approved vaccine or treatment — making containment particularly challenging. Clinical trials for experimental treatments began earlier this month, with researchers launching a highly anticipated study testing promising antiviral compounds.

Containment Hampered by Funding Gaps and Conflict

Efforts to bring the outbreak under control have been undermined by a combination of factors: a significant funding shortfall, attacks on health centers by armed groups, and the ongoing armed conflict in eastern Congo, which is the epicenter of the outbreak.

The Trump administration had initially planned to send Americans exposed to Ebola abroad to a new quarantine facility in Kenya rather than repatriating them to the United States. That plan has since been suspended following a court order from a Kenyan judge blocking the arrangement.