American doctor tests positive for Ebola in Democratic Republic of Congo outbreak

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]This morning, the CDC has confirmed an American doctor working in Central Africa is now being treated for Ebola.

[00:00:07]Dr. Peter Stafford has been living in Congo working with a medical missionary organization. His wife, who works with him, was exposed to the virus, but is not showing symptoms. The couple and their four children are now being taken to Germany for specialized care and monitoring, along with another doctor also exposed but not showing signs of the disease. CDC has been working hand-in-hand with the Department of State to move the American for treatment and care to Germany and other high-risk contacts to Germany for monitoring. Dr. Stafford was diagnosed Sunday with a rare variant of Ebola, which has no vaccine. The virus can cause severe bleeding and organ failure. At least 88 people have died in this outbreak with more than 330 suspected cases reported.

[00:00:51]One doctor infected with Ebola while treating patients back in 2014 says he believes the current outbreak is much bigger than what current numbers show.

[00:01:00]My biggest concern about this outbreak is that we learned way too much way too quickly for this to be anything but really bad. The outbreak raising concerns here at home ahead of the World Cup. The team from Congo plans to use Houston as its home base during the tournament. The US government is now refusing entry to non-US citizens who have recently traveled through countries dealing with Ebola.

[00:01:20]The CDC says the overall risk to Americans remains low.