JONATHAN M. METSCH, Dr.P.H. – Tracking Emerging Public Health Challenges – May 18, 2026 – Ebola
The individual developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive late on May 17. The CDC did not name the individual, but the Serge Christian mission organization said one of its medical missionaries, Dr. Peter Stafford, has tested positive after being exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital in the DRC, per Reuters and a statement released by the organization.
The CDC is working with the Department of State to move the American to Germany for treatment, along with six other high-risk contacts for monitoring.” (1)
“In response to a fast-moving Ebola outbreak, the Trump administration has imposed a U.S. entry ban on foreign travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days, according to a new order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The order comes as an international Christian aid group confirmed one of its members, an American doctor working in the outbreak zone, is among those who have a confirmed Ebola infection. The organization, Serge, said that Peter Stafford, a physician who had been working at a hospital in Bunia since 2023, in northeastern DRC, tested positive for the Bundibugyo ebolavirus variant. Two other doctors working for the charity, including Stafford’s wife, also had exposure to infected patients.” (2)
1.American tests positive for Ebola after exposure in Democratic Republic of Congo, by Alyssa Goldberg, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2026/05/18/american-tests-positive-ebola-democratic-republic-of-congo/90146361007/
2.U.S. bans entry from Ebola-affected countries as American patient is identified, By Annalisa Merelli and Helen Branswell, https://www.statnews.com/2026/05/18/cdc-ebola-travel-ban-announced-uganda-congo-south-sudan/
curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai