U.S. humanitarian worker tests positive for Ebola in Congo, CDC says
The CDC confirmed that a U.S. citizen employed by a humanitarian group in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for Ebola as the outbreak continues to spread across the region.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed on Friday that a U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in the Democratic Republic of Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus. The agency said it is coordinating with the worker’s employer, U.S. authorities, Congolese health officials and other partners to trace contacts and prevent further transmission, but provided no additional details.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention earlier reported that the current outbreak is the fastest-growing Ebola event ever recorded on the continent, with 1,830 confirmed cases and 648 deaths in Congo, and additional cases identified in neighboring Uganda.
In a separate incident earlier this month, an American doctor who contracted Ebola in Congo was evacuated to Germany, where he recovered after several weeks of treatment before returning to the United States with his family in June.
The Trump administration has sought $1.4 billion in supplemental funding from Congress to support response efforts in Congo, Uganda and other affected areas. A proposed plan to treat exposed Americans at a facility in Kenya was halted after a Kenyan court order.
The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment, though clinical trials for experimental therapies began last week.