A second U.S. citizen has tested positive for Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced. The unidentified American is employed by a humanitarian organization.
This case is part of the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever recorded in Africa, with 1,830 confirmed cases and 648 deaths reported in the Congo, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases have also been recorded in Uganda.
The CDC stated it is collaborating with the patient's employer, other U.S. federal agencies, and public health authorities in the DRC to prevent further transmission. Efforts include supporting contact tracing and conducting risk assessments to identify individuals at high risk of exposure.
The current outbreak was declared by Congolese authorities on May 15. Bundibugyo virus, a type of Ebola, does not have an approved vaccine or treatment.
Earlier in the outbreak, a U.S. citizen, Dr. Peter Stafford, tested positive for Ebola and was evacuated to Germany for treatment. He fully recovered and returned to the U.S. last month after testing negative for the virus. A French doctor also tested positive for the virus last month after returning to Paris, with no subsequent cases detected in the U.S.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has assessed the risk of a global outbreak as low, noting that the virus spreads through bodily fluids and is not airborne. In response to the outbreak, the U.S. implemented enhanced health screenings for travelers returning from the region and restricted entry for non-U.S. citizens coming from affected areas.