US Doctor Recovers from Ebola Infection at Berlin Hospital

A United States medical doctor, who contracted the deadly Ebola virus while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been discharged from a hospital in Germany after making a full recovery. The doctor, identified as 39-year-old Dr Peter Stafford, was working for a Christian missionary group in the DRC when he caught the virus. According to the Charite public hospital in Berlin, where Dr Stafford was treated, he and his five family members, who were also in quarantine, are now in good health and have been allowed to leave the hospital. Dr Stafford, who works for the charity Serge, had operated on a patient with Ebola in eastern DRC before the outbreak was officially declared on May 15. He received experimental therapies that are currently being trialled for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which has no approved vaccines or treatments. In a statement, Dr Stafford expressed his gratitude to the hospital and its staff, saying 'words cannot adequately express my gratitude.' However, he also noted that his thoughts remain with the people in the Congo who do not have access to the same level of care. The World Health Organisation has reported a total of 471 people infected and 84 deaths in the DRC and neighbouring Uganda. The WHO has declared the outbreak an international public health emergency, warning that it could become the largest Ebola epidemic on record. The virus can cause a deadly haemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate of up to 50 per cent. Dr Stafford was admitted to the Charite hospital on May 20 with pronounced Ebola symptoms, but his viral load decreased substantially under antiviral treatment and supportive care. No virus was detected in his system since May 30, and he and his family were discharged from the hospital on Saturday.