Dr. Peter Stafford, a medical missionary with the Christian group Serge, tested positive for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus while serving in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Stafford was flown to Germany for treatment on Tuesday.
“I was able to speak with Peter briefly by phone on the morning of May 21 and he reports he’s feeling better than he was yesterday and is beginning to eat small amounts of food. Peter is continuing to show the predictable sequence of Ebola signs and symptoms. He passed through the first days of nonspecific symptoms (fever, aches, fatigue), and has now passed into a phase with vomiting, diarrhea, and rash, with labs trending slightly in the right direction,” Dr. Scott Myhre, Serge’s Area Director for East and Central Africa, said.
Through Serge, Dr. Stafford gave his own update, “Before I was evacuated I was feeling really concerned I wasn’t going to make it. And now I’m cautiously optimistic.” Myhre said he remains critically ill but not acutely deteriorating.
Dr. Peter Stafford’s wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford, and their four children landed in Berlin just before 10:00 p.m. local time and have moved into a separate space within Berlin’s Charite University Hospital. They are all asymptomatic and will continue to isolate and be monitored.
Dr. Peter Stafford’s family was able to see him through a window. Both Drs. Stafford told Serge, “they were relieved to have had the opportunity to see each other and were finally able to have their first few hours of peaceful sleep following the window greeting.”
