American doctor with Ebola evacuated to Germany as wife and four children are monitored in Congo

Ebola Virus OutbreakAmerican doctor with Ebola evacuated to Germany as wife and four children are monitored in CongoLeaders of the Christian missionary group Serge, where Dr. Peter Stafford works, said he had unknowingly operated on a patient with Ebola before the outbreak was detected.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Drs. Peter and Rebekah Stafford with their children. Photograph has been blurred by Serge.Courtesy SergeShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 19, 2026, 7:25 PM EDTBy Maggie Vespa and Denise ChowBy the time the American surgeon who contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo was flown to Germany for treatment on Tuesday, he was barely able to stand on his own, according to two leaders of the Christian missionary group where he worked.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Dr. Scott Myhre, the East and Central Africa area director for the group, called Serge, described the scene as Dr. Peter Stafford departed. “There were people in full — we call it PPE — the personal protective equipment, and they’re completely covered, and he’s hanging on them barely strong enough to walk,” Myhre said. “He looked really tired and really sick.”Stafford worked at the Nyankunde Hospital, which is located in Congo’s Ituri province, where the Ebola outbreak is centered. Days before the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the outbreak, Stafford operated on a 33-year-old patient with severe abdominal pain, Myhre said. At the time, doctors thought the patient had a gallbladder infection.“[Stafford] did an abdominal procedure and found that the gallbladder was normal, and closed him up, but this patient subsequently died the next day,” Myhre said.Days later, they realized the patient, who was buried before he could be tested, likely died of Ebola. Stafford developed symptoms over the weekend and tested positive for Ebola on Sunday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease...