Dr. Craig Spencer, a physician who contracted Ebola in 2014 while treating patients in Guinea, has commented on the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He expressed the view that the outbreak may be larger than officially reported figures indicate.
Current Outbreak Status
The World Health Organization has reported an estimated 131 deaths in the current outbreak in the DRC. The organization has expressed concern regarding what it described as the "scale and speed" of the outbreak.
Dr. Spencer's Statements
In interviews, Dr. Spencer stated that he believes the current outbreak is "much bigger" than reported numbers indicate. He said his biggest concern is that lessons learned from previous outbreaks lead him to conclude the current situation is "really bad."
Dr. Spencer made no specific claim regarding the accuracy of official case counts but stated his certainty that the outbreak is larger than reported.
"My biggest concern is that lessons learned from previous outbreaks lead me to conclude the current situation is really bad."
U.S. Government Role
Dr. Spencer commented on the U.S. government's reduced role in global health, stating that this has left the United States "flat footed" in responding to the outbreak. He did not specify which policy changes or budget decisions he was referencing.
Sympathy for Infected American Doctor
Dr. Spencer expressed sympathy for a recently infected American doctor in the DRC, stating, "I unfortunately know exactly what it feels like to be in that situation."
Background
Dr. Spencer contracted Ebola in 2014 while treating patients in Guinea with the organization Doctors Without Borders. After returning to the U.S., he tested positive for the virus and spent 19 days in treatment at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. He later returned to Guinea in early 2015 to work as an epidemiologist, assisting with the national response.
Future Involvement
When asked about the possibility of returning to an Ebola outbreak, Dr. Spencer stated he would be "happy to help." He noted, however, that he has already put his family through significant hardship. Dr. Spencer is an ER doctor and a public health professor at Brown University.