Ebola Recovery Success
US Doctor Peter Stafford Discharged After Beating Rare Bundibugyo Ebola
A U.S. doctor, Peter Stafford, who contracted the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola while working in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, was discharged from Berlin’s Charité hospital on June 6 after multiple negative PCR tests and more than 72 hours without symptoms. Charité said his treatment included combined antiviral therapy and supportive care, and that his five quarantined family members and other high-risk contacts developed no symptoms. Stafford was airlifted to Germany after being admitted to Charité on May 20 following infection at Nyankunde Hospital in Bunia, where he performed surgery before the outbreak was officially linked to Bundibugyo ebolavirus. The case comes as the DRC and neighboring Uganda continue to face a fast-moving outbreak that has sickened hundreds, with Ebola deaths reported in the low 80s, and the WHO has declared a global health emergency. Unlike the more common Zaire Ebola strain, Bundibugyo currently has no approved vaccine or commercial treatment, leaving local health teams to rely on isolation and contact tracing amid conflict and displacement. Reporting also cited a diplomatic dispute over delays in repatriation by U.S. authorities, which the White House denied, before Germany agreed to take Stafford for care.
Key Points
Charité said Stafford had no virus detected since May 30 and that his Ebola symptoms “subsided significantly” after treatment. Leif Erik Sander, a Charité official, called the outcome “a significant therapeutic success.”
A detailed account of how Stafford was infected: he was a 39-year-old missionary surgeon at Nyankunde Hospital. A woman arrived with symptoms that looked like a ruptured appendix or inflamed gallbladder; she died the next day and was buried before testing. Stafford was likely exposed during surgery through bodily fluids without knowing he was treating Ebola.
On arrival in Berlin, Charité described Stafford’s condition as “pronounced,” with a “high” viral load. He was admitted to Charité’s high-level isolation unit, described as one of Europe’s most advanced biocontainment wards.
The diplomatic dispute had a specific timeline: reporting cited by Eastern Herald (attributed to a Washington Post report) said U.S. authorities initially refused to allow Stafford’s repatriation, delaying evacuation. Eastern Herald also says he was airlifted to Berlin on May 19—four days after the Bundibugyo outbreak was declared on May 15—and admitted immediately to Charité’s isolation unit.
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