The US government has thanked German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for treating a US citizen infected with the Ebola virus in a German hospital.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X on Wednesday: "Thank you to Chancellor Merz and our friends in Germany for their swift assistance in caring for Americans affected by the Ebola outbreak. We're grateful for your partnership."
A US national infected with the Ebola virus has been receiving treatment in a special ward at Berlin's Charité hospital since Wednesday. He contracted the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Ebola is spreading rapidly.
The patient, who is a doctor himself, was flown to Germany for treatment after the US requested assistance from the German government.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had announced days earlier that, due to shorter flight times and experience in treating Ebola patients, the patient should be transferred to Germany.
The Charité hospital has an isolation unit with specialized infrastructure for treating patients with highly contagious, life-threatening infectious diseases. The closed and protected unit is separate from regular hospital operations, ensuring there can be no contact with other patients.
Following the admission of the Ebola patient to Berlin's Charité hospital, his wife and four children also arrived in Germany and were taken to the hospital's special isolation unit, according to the German Health Ministry. This follows a request for assistance from the US authorities.
The US national was flown to Berlin for treatment following a prior request from the US to the German government.
According to the information provided, the family members had also previously been in the Democratic Republic of Congo and are considered close contacts of the infected man. They were last reported to be symptom-free and had tested negative, it was stated.
According to the ministry, the plan was for them to be transported in the same way – first by special aircraft to Germany and then in Berlin by a specially equipped infectious disease ambulance to the hospital ward.
Ebola is a contagious and life-threatening infectious disease. The virus is transmitted through physical contact and contact with bodily fluids.
Rubio's message to Merz was closely watched, following diplomatic friction between Washington and Berlin in recent weeks.
