U.S. doctor with Ebola recovers from deadly virus, German hospital says

The U.S. doctor who contracted Ebola while working on a humanitarian mission in Congo has been released from a hospital in Germany after recovering from the potentially deadly disease. Dr. Peter Stafford was working with the missionary group Serge in the Congo when he was infected with the virus, the group said. He was evacuated to a hospital in Berlin to receive care on May 20, according to the group. His wife, also a doctor volunteering with Serge, and their four children were also evacuated and quarantined. Stafford was treated at Charité hospital in Berlin, one of the top hospitals in Europe, where he received "antiviral therapy and additional supportive medical measures during the first week," the hospital said in a statement Saturday . His condition consistently improved over the course of his treatment, the hospital said. "The initially high viral load decreased substantially under antiviral treatment and supportive care," Charité said Saturday. "Since May 30, no virus has been detected in the daily follow-up tests. In accordance with internationally accepted criteria-complete absence of symptoms for more than 72 hours and negative virus detection in repeated PCR tests-the competent public health authority lifted the isolation order today at 12:00 PM." Dr. Peter Stafford, seen with his wife, Rebekah, also a doctor, was diagnosed with Ebola while both were working with a missionary group in Congo last month. Rebekah and their four children never developed symptoms. …