BBC – An American tested positive for Ebola after being exposed while working with a medical missionary group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, US officials say.

The US national was being evacuated to Germany for treatment after developing symptoms over the weekend, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).At least 131 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo, with more than 513 cases suspected, officials have said.The US CDC said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed.

The agency did not identify the American working in DR Congo who had been stricken with the virus on Sunday.But medical missionary group Serge said later on Monday that one of its US doctors, Peter Stafford, had tested positive for Ebola.He was exposed while treating patients at Nyankunde Hospital in Bunia, where he has worked since 2023, said the charity.Germany’s Federal Ministry of Health told the BBC the US government had requested help to treat a US citizen sick with Ebola.”Arrangements are currently being made to admit and treat the patient in Germany,” the ministry said.”For the management and care of patients with diseases caused by highly pathogenic pathogens, there is a nationwide network of experts in Germany.”