The White House has denied allegations that it resisted evacuating an American doctor infected with Ebola from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Dr Peter Stafford, 39, tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus while working at Nyankunde Hospital in the DRC with the nonprofit Christian ministry Serge.
A Washington Post report claimed White House officials were reluctant to bring Stafford back to the United States, despite advocacy from the CDC and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. Instead, he was flown to Berlin’s Charité University Hospital in Germany. White House spokesperson Kush Desai called the report “absolutely false”, stating that Germany was chosen because it is 12 hours closer to the DRC, and “time is of the essence”.
Stafford was treating patients in a remote area when he fell ill, requiring multiple flights for evacuation, including one where he was placed in a containment tube. He became unable to walk without assistance, suffering from fever and nausea. The Bundibugyo virus has no approved vaccines and a fatality rate between 30 and 50 percent, according to the World Health Organization.
If Stafford had been sent to the US, he would likely have gone to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit, but 18 of its 20 beds are occupied by people quarantining from hantavirus exposure. Desai emphasised that the Charité Hospital is “internationally recognised as one of the best facilities in the world” for treating viral diseases like Ebola.
Stafford’s wife, Dr Rebekah Stafford, who was also exposed to the virus, remains asymptomatic and has been evacuated with their four children for monitoring. The Ebola outbreak is currently confined to the DRC and Uganda, with health officials working to prevent further spread.
