Key facts
- A US national infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has arrived in Germany for treatment.
- The patient, a humanitarian worker in his 60s, was transferred to a Frankfurt hospital.
- The German health ministry stated the patient poses no danger to the general population.
- The US administration is blocking American citizens from the DRC from traveling to the US on commercial flights.
- This is the second US Ebola patient treated in Germany in recent weeks.
A US national who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has arrived in Germany for specialized treatment, according to the German health ministry. The patient, described as a humanitarian worker in his 60s employed by the Christian aid group Samaritan’s Purse, landed in Frankfurt and was transferred to the city’s university hospital.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed the patient had received clinical care and monitoring in Bunia, the capital of the DRC's Ituri province, which is currently experiencing its 17th Ebola outbreak. The WHO stated the patient was safely transferred to Germany for continued care.
The German health ministry assured that the patient poses no danger to the general population or other patients at the hospital, citing the low risk of Ebola entering Germany. US authorities requested Germany's assistance due to its expertise in treating Ebola cases and the relatively shorter flight time from the DRC.
This marks the second US Ebola patient treated in Berlin in recent weeks. A previous American patient infected in the DRC recovered after two weeks of treatment at Berlin’s Charité hospital.
In parallel, the Trump administration announced it is blocking American citizens in the DRC from traveling to the US on commercial flights. This measure, enacted under Title 49, will place affected US citizens on a "do-not-board" list until they have spent at least 21 days in a third country. The State Department will support these citizens during the waiting period.