An American medical missionary tested positive for Ebola while serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday.Peter Stafford, serving with American mission group Serge, tested positive for the Bundibugyoebola virus variant, the group said in a press release Monday.According to Serge, Stafford was exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital in Ituri Province and was one of three Serge-supported medical missionaries treating patients when the outbreak began. Stafford’s wife and one other individual are currently adhering to quarantine procedures but remain asymptomatic.
The diagnosis comes after the World Health Organization declared a global emergency over the weekend, as more than 250 cases and 88 deaths were linked to the virus. Most reported cases were in the DRC and Uganda.
Serge’s team base is located in Bunia, which is only 25 miles north of the epicenter of the outbreak in Mongwalu. As of Monday, authorities have documented 390 suspected cases and 100 fatalities, according to the missionary organization.
“Our medical teams labor in some of the most demanding settings in the world, serving vulnerable communities who have limited access to healthcare,” said Joel Hylton, Serge’s senior director of mission. “We are profoundly grateful for their dedication to the people of the DRC, and we deeply lament the hardship they are enduring under this current threat.”
