The coffin for an Ebola virus victim is prepared, in Mongbwalu (Ituri Province), Congo, on June 26, 2026.Image: keystone
July 11, 2026, 3:35 p.mJuly 11, 2026, 3:35 p.m
As a result of the serious Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, another US citizen was infected with the virus. The US health authority CDC said that a US citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo was affected. It initially remained unclear whether it was a man or a woman.
The person tested positive for the currently rampant Bundibugyo variant. The authority, together with the aid organization, Congolese health authorities and other partners, is supporting contact tracing and risk assessment in order to prevent further infections.
A French doctor and a US doctor were also infected
This is the second known case of a US citizen becoming infected during the current outbreak in Congo. Previously, a US doctor who was infected in eastern Congo was flown to Germany for treatment and was cared for in the Berlin Charité. He has now been released after recovering from illness.
The virus was detected for the first time in Europe at the end of June. In France, a doctor from a humanitarian organization who returned from eastern Congo tested positive for the Bundibugyo virus. According to the French Ministry of Health, the man was isolated immediately after his arrival. He was released from the hospital in early July after testing negative and showing no symptoms.
The number of cases is rising particularly quickly this time
Ebola is a life-threatening viral disease that is transmitted through direct physical contact and contact with body fluids. According to the Congolese government, 1,830 infections have been confirmed in the laboratory since the latest outbreak began in May. 648 people are proven to have died from the disease.
According to health experts, no previous Ebola outbreak has seen case numbers rise as quickly as the current epidemic. The current outbreak is considered particularly difficult to contain because there is currently neither an approved vaccine nor a specific therapy against the Bundibugyo virus. (sda/dpa)