Ebola patient at Berlin Charité improving; German health minister pledges new crisis law
The condition of a US doctor infected with the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus at Berlin's Charité hospital is improving, with lab values nearly normal, according to infectious disease director Leif Erik Sander. The case has exposed gaps in Germany's preparedness for biological hazards, prompting Health Minister Nina Warken to announce a draft health security law by summer. The patient's wife and four children remain in separate quarantine with no symptoms and are receiving a preventive antibody treatment.
The condition of a US doctor infected with the rare Bundibugyo Ebola virus at Berlin's Charité hospital is improving, with lab values nearly normal, according to Leif Erik Sander, director of the Clinic for Infectiology and Intensive Care Medicine at Charité.
"The lab values have decreased so much that they are almost back to normal and the patient is doing well under the circumstances," Sander said. The virus concentration measured in the patient fell very quickly over the week. The doctor, who contracted the virus in Africa, arrived in Berlin weakened but did not require artificial respiration. He is receiving a targeted antiviral combination therapy.
The patient's wife and four children live in a separate quarantine area and can see him through a glass pane. "The family, that is the four children and the wife, have been doing well since then," Sander said. "They have no symptoms of any infection or of an Ebola virus infection." The family is receiving a preventive antibody preparation. The quarantine lasts up to 21 days.
Charité board chairman Heyo Kroemer said the hospital has a special isolation ward (Sonderisolierstation) at its Virchow-Klinikum, describing it as "an isolated, separated area that is precisely intended for such a situation, is trained for it, and has both the equipment and the necessary personnel." Kroemer added that Germany has significant need for better structures for larger incidents, such as biological hazards. "And perhaps we can use this case as an opportunity to think about it more intensively," he said.
Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) visited Charité to inform herself about the patient's condition and announced a "Gesundheitssicherstellungsgesetz" (health security law) is being prepared. The draft bill is expected by summer. "We are also looking at what capacities must be available and how they can be ramped up quickly," Warken said, referring to medical personnel and material, as well as procedures for patient transfers during armed conflicts. Warken praised Charité's work and said no further requests for Ebola patient admission are currently pending.