An American citizen who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been transferred to Germany for specialist treatment, according to the German health ministry.
The patient arrived in Frankfurt overnight and was immediately taken to the city’s university hospital, marking the second time in recent weeks that a US national infected during the outbreak has been treated in Germany.
At the same time, the Trump administration announced new travel restrictions affecting Americans in the DRC, blocking them from boarding commercial flights directly to the United States.
According to Reuters, the White House said the measure is intended to reduce the risk of the virus entering the country.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus identified the patient as a humanitarian worker who had been based in Bunia, the capital of Ituri Province, where the current outbreak is concentrated.
He said the WHO had been monitoring the patient before the evacuation.
“The patient has been safely transferred to Germany for continued follow-up care,” Tedros wrote on X.
A representative of the Christian humanitarian organisation Samaritan’s Purse confirmed to Reuters that the patient, who is in his 60s, worked full-time as a warehouse manager in the DRC.
The current Ebola outbreak, declared by Congolese authorities in mid-May, is the country’s 17th recorded outbreak and is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or cure.
According to the WHO, the outbreak has resulted in more than 1,900 confirmed infections and over 700 confirmed deaths.
German health officials sought to reassure the public, saying the patient does not pose a threat to others.
“The risk of someone infected with Ebola entering Germany is very low,” the ministry said.
Officials explained that the United States requested Germany’s assistance because of its experience treating Ebola patients and the shorter travel distance from the DRC.
Another American infected during the outbreak was previously treated at Berlin’s Charité Hospital, where he and his family were quarantined in late May before he recovered after two weeks.
Under the new US restrictions, American citizens currently in the DRC—or those who have recently travelled from the country—will not be allowed to fly directly to the United States on commercial airlines.
Reuters reported that the policy is being enforced under Title 49, a transportation law that places affected travellers on a “do-not-board” list until they have spent at least 21 days in a third country.
A White House official told Reuters that about two dozen Americans were due to travel back to the United States this week but would now be affected by the restrictions.
The official added that the US State Department would assist those impacted during the waiting period.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or animals. The disease is highly contagious and can cause severe symptoms, including high fever, vomiting, internal bleeding, and external haemorrhage.
