Dr. Stafford was exposed while treating patients in the democratic republic of Congo, where an Ebola outbreak has killed nearly 120 people.
Dr. Peter Stafford works with the missions organization Serge, based in Jenkintown. Dr. Stafford was exposed while treating patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where anThe CDC says the American who tested positive was being moved to Germany for care, and stressed that the risk to the U.S. general public remains low.
The species of Ebola virus causing the outbreak is less common than other Ebola viruses, which is complicating the response because there are no specific treatments or vaccines.
"There's nothing even close to ready for clinical trials," said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist who treated patients in West Africa during the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic. "And so that means responders, healthcare workers and other aid workers are really back to the basics. " Here's what to know about Bundibugyo virus, the rare species behind the outbreak of what public health officials call Ebola virus disease.
Bundibugyo has caused two other outbreaks, all in the same region of the Congo River basin, said Dr. Tom Ksiazek, a University of Texas Medical Branch virologist and veterinarian. He directed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Special Pathogens Branch, which first identified the virus in 2007. The virus is spread the same way as other Ebola viruses: through close contact with sick or deceased patients' bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit.
Healthcare workers and family members caring for sick patients face the highest risk, experts said.
"So very often we see doctors and nurses among the first to be infected and to die," said Gounder, editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News. From the few outbreaks health experts have seen, Bundibugyo might be slightly less deadly than what is often called Zaire virus, the most common species.
"I think a 30%-plus mortality rate is still quite scary, but it's hard to say with a lot of precision because we don't have a lot of experience," Gounder said. In the other two Bundibugyo outbreaks, initial cases were identified early, Ksiazek said, allowing for a quick public health response: getting healthcare workers proper protective equipment, finding and isolating people who were exposed and offering supportive medical care to patients. Proper medical care "reduces mortality significantly," he said.
How public health workers are trying to contain the outbreak Health workers are now working to find and isolate cases, trace their contacts and educate people about how to avoid the virus. In the West African epidemic, ensuring safe methods of burial was key to stopping the spread, said Gounder, because people were getting sick from preparing their loved ones' bodies for funeral rites.
"Of course, it's problematic because vaccines are some of our best tools for combating infectious diseases," said Lina Moses, an epidemiologist and disease ecologist at Tulane University. But other public health tools - public education, contact tracing, quick testing - still work, she said.
"It's important to keep in mind that every single Ebola outbreak that has occurred in the - we're on our 17th now - has been stopped," she said. Related Topics
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
American working in Congo tests positive for Ebola, CDC saysThe person was exposed as part of their work in Congo and developed symptoms over the weekend, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read more »
American doctor is among confirmed cases in rare Ebola outbreak in CongoThe World Health Organization on Sunday declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Read more »
An American doctor is among the newest cases in rare Ebola outbreak in CongoA rare variant of the Ebola virus with no approved vaccines or therapeutics has taken the lives of over 100 people.
Read more »
CDC confirms one American working in Congo tested positive for EbolaThe CDC confirmed one American who was working in Congo tested positive for Ebola after becoming symptomatic. A CDC spokesman said the person and other high-risk contacts will be moved to Germany for treatment and monitoring. NBC News medical reporter Dr. Akshay Syal has details on the announcement.
Read more »