A second U.S. citizen has tested positive for Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo, U.S. health officials confirmed Friday, as the Central African nation battles what officials are calling the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded on the continent.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the American, who works for a humanitarian organization, contracted the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus while in the country. The agency did not release the person’s name, age or condition, but said it is coordinating closely with the individual’s employer as well as U.S. federal agencies and Congolese public health authorities.
“CDC is working with the patient’s employing organization, other U.S. federal agencies, public health authorities, and partners in DRC to help prevent further transmission by supporting contact tracing and performing risk assessments to identify high-risk contacts,” the agency said in a statement.
The new case marks the second time a U.S. citizen has contracted Ebola since the outbreak was formally declared by Congolese authorities on May 15. In the outbreak’s first week, an American physician, identified in earlier reports as Dr. Peter Stafford, tested positive and was evacuated to Germany for treatment. He later recovered and returned home to the United States with his family last month, expressing gratitude for his care and voicing concern for those still battling the disease in Congo.
Health officials say the current outbreak has already surpassed previous flare-ups in scale and speed. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week that confirmed Ebola cases in Congo have climbed to 1,830, with 648 deaths recorded so far. Additional cases tied to the outbreak have also been confirmed across the border in Uganda, raising concerns about regional spread.
Unlike more familiar strains of Ebola, this outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo virus, a rarer variant for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. Health authorities note the virus is not airborne and spreads only through contact with bodily fluids, and the World Health Organization has said the broader global risk remains low even as the situation in Congo intensifies.
The response effort has been complicated by factors on the ground. Ongoing armed conflict in eastern Congo, the epicenter of the outbreak, has displaced thousands of residents, potentially helping the virus travel to new areas. Attacks on health facilities and distrust among some local communities have further hampered containment work, while many doctors and nurses reportedly lack adequate protective equipment, leaving front-line workers vulnerable to infection.
The Trump administration has sought additional resources to respond to the crisis, recently requesting $1.4 billion in supplemental funding from Congress to support Ebola-related efforts in Congo, Uganda and other affected areas. Officials had earlier floated a plan to route American citizens exposed to Ebola abroad to a newly designated facility in Kenya rather than flying them back to the United States, but that plan was suspended after a Kenyan court issued an order blocking it.
Last week, researchers launched a long-anticipated clinical trial in Congo aimed at testing potential treatments for the Bundibugyo strain, offering a glimmer of hope for a region that has watched the death toll climb week after week. Health workers at treatment centers in hard-hit areas such as Bunia have continued screening patients even as they operate under strained conditions.
U.S. officials reiterated that no Ebola cases have been detected within the United States itself. Enhanced health screenings remain in place for travelers returning from the affected region, and the U.S. has restricted entry for non-citizens arriving from areas of Congo experiencing active transmission.
As case numbers continue to rise, humanitarian organizations operating in the region say the latest infection is a stark reminder of the risks faced by aid workers confronting the outbreak firsthand.
