Ebola-infected U.S. doctor says he’s optimistic

May 22, 2026

Summary

A U.S. doctor treated for Ebola in Berlin said he was "cautiously optimistic" as officials expanded travel restrictions.

Why this matters

The story tracks a cross-border Ebola outbreak that prompted new U.S. entry measures and international monitoring. It also shows how health systems are responding to a rare Ebola strain with no approved vaccines or therapeutics.

An American doctor infected with Ebola said he was “cautiously optimistic” as he received treatment in Germany, though colleagues said he remained critically ill.

Dr. Peter Stafford contracted the disease while treating patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was evacuated to Charite University Hospital in Berlin.

“Before I was evacuated I was feeling really concerned I wasn’t going to make it, and now I’m cautiously optimistic,” Stafford said in a press release from Serge, the Christian missionary organization that employs him.

Dr. Scott Myhre, Serge’s area director for East and Central Africa, said Stafford was feeling better than he did Wednesday and was able to eat small amounts of food. Stafford first had fever, aches, and fatigue, but later developed vomiting and diarrhea. Myhre said his laboratory results were “trending slightly in the right direction.”

Stafford’s wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford, and their four children arrived in Berlin late Wednesday and were isolating in a separate space at the hospital, according to Serge. The family was asymptomatic and could see him through a window, the organization said.

Another Serge physician, Dr. Patrick LaRochelle, was quarantined at Bulovka Hospital in Prague and remained asymptomatic, Serge said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday that flights carrying people recently in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan would be directed to Washington Dulles International Airport, where enhanced public health measures were being implemented.

The World Health Organization said the outbreak in eastern Congo had caused 139 suspected deaths and nearly 600 suspected cases as of Wednesday, with at least 51 confirmed cases. Cases have been reported in Goma and Bunia, and Uganda’s capital, Kampala, recorded at least two cases and one death, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

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Stafford received two IV treatments, including monoclonal antibodies.

Full story +

An American doctor infected with Ebola said he was “cautiously optimistic” as he received treatment in Germany, though colleagues said he remained critically ill.

Dr. Peter Stafford contracted the disease while treating patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was evacuated to Charite University Hospital in Berlin.

“Before I was evacuated I was feeling really concerned I wasn’t going to make it, and now I’m cautiously optimistic,” Stafford said in a press release from Serge, the Christian missionary organization that employs him.

Dr. Scott Myhre, Serge’s area director for East and Central Africa, said Stafford was feeling better than he did Wednesday and was able to eat small amounts of food. Stafford first had fever, aches, and fatigue, but later developed vomiting and diarrhea. Myhre said his laboratory results were “trending slightly in the right direction.”

Stafford’s wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford, and their four children arrived in Berlin late Wednesday and were isolating in a separate space at the hospital, according to Serge. The family was asymptomatic and could see him through a window, the organization said.

Another Serge physician, Dr. Patrick LaRochelle, was quarantined at Bulovka Hospital in Prague and remained asymptomatic, Serge said.

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