Peter Stafford, MD, the American physician who contracted Ebola, has recovered and returned to the U.S., CBS News reported June 15.
Here are the latest updates on the Ebola outbreak.
1. Dr. Stafford, his wife and their four children all arrived safely in the U.S. on Monday, according to Serge, a Pennsylvania-based Christian mission organization. Dr. Stafford was evacuated to a Berlin hospital May 20, was Ebola-free on May 30 and was discharged on June 6, according to CBS News. His wife and children were quarantined in Germany as well but did not develop any symptoms.
“I am filled with gratitude to God for preserving my life, to all those who prayed on my behalf, and to the many medical providers who cared for me,” Dr. Stafford said in a June 15 Serge news release. “I am feeling well and thankful to be reunited with Rebekah and the kids. Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic and for the ongoing efforts to control the disease.”
2. Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya, MD, said there are currently tens of thousands of contacts that have not been traced.
“If we don’t stop the outbreak very soon it will be worse than what we had in West Africa and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,” Dr. Kaseya said in a virtual meeting of African heads of state in Burundi.
3. Bruno Michon, operations manager for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the Ebola outbreak has not yet peaked and could last for another year.
4. Researchers have attempted to project the case numbers for moderate, fast and slow growth scenarios in this outbreak. Their models have yielded an estimate of between 306 and 2,521 cases.
5. There are 782 confirmed cases in Congo and 181 confirmed deaths, up from 676 confirmed cases and 136 deaths as of June 10, according to the CDC. Ituri province has the most cases, with 629 confirmed cases from 19 health zones, according to the World Health Organization. Uganda’s cases remain at 19 confirmed cases and two confirmed deaths, a total that has not increased since June 5.
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