An American citizen infected with Ebola has arrived in Germany for specialised medical care, the German Health Ministry said on Monday.
The patient arrived in Frankfurt overnight and was transferred to a university hospital for continued treatment.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the patient is a humanitarian worker who had been operating in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to Tedros, the WHO provided the patient with clinical care and close monitoring before the transfer to Germany for further medical support.
The German Health Ministry said the patient poses no risk to the general public or other patients at the Frankfurt hospital.
It added that the decision to transfer the patient was made after a request from United States authorities, who cited Germany’s experience in managing Ebola cases and the shorter travel distance from the DRC.
The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak in mid-May, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or cure.
The WHO reported that the ongoing outbreak has recorded more than 1,900 confirmed cases and over 700 confirmed deaths.
German authorities said the likelihood of Ebola spreading through an infected person entering the country remains very low, while health officials continue to monitor the situation.
The latest case comes weeks after another US citizen infected with Ebola was treated in isolation at Berlin’s Charité Hospital, where the patient and family members were quarantined.
