Bend Doctor Who Took Charge During Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak Finally Returns Home

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — After weeks spent aboard a cruise ship off the coast of Africa, followed by a lengthy stay inside one of the nation's most secure quarantine facilities, Dr. Stephen Kornfeld is finally back where he wants to be: home in Bend.

"Being home is everything," Kornfeld said. "Just to sleep in my own bed and to breathe the Central Oregon air."

The Bend physician is still under strict home isolation for another three weeks, but after what he's endured over the past month and a half, being home feels like a major victory. "It beats Nebraska," he said with a laugh.

Kornfeld spent weeks at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center after being exposed during a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a luxury cruise ship traveling along Africa's western coast.

While grateful for the care he received, he said life inside the biocontainment unit wasn't easy.

"You felt a little bit like a prisoner," Kornfeld said. "Meals would come haphazardly. The food wasn't very good. Everything I needed, I had to request -toothpaste and on and on."

When the Ship's Doctor Became a Patient

The outbreak began while passengers were traveling near the Horn of Africa.

As cases mounted and passengers became seriously ill, Kornfeld quickly realized the situation was deteriorating. "The infections and the deaths on the boat," he recalled. "I decided to step it up and be the doctor."

Kornfeld had boarded the trip as a passenger, not a medical provider. But when he learned the ship's physician had also become sick, he volunteered to help.

"I asked the cruise director if the doctor needed any assistance," Kornfeld said. "That's when he said to me, 'Well, the doctor's really sick too, and we don't have a doctor.'"

The outbreak ultimately claimed two lives and sickened multiple passengers.

For several days, Kornfeld helped care for patients, monitor symptoms and provide reassurance as uncertainty spread across the ship.

His actions quickly drew praise from fellow passengers and from people following the story around the world.

A Disease That Hits Close to Home

For many Central Oregonians, hantavirus is more than a headline.

The rare but often deadly disease has periodically surfaced in the West, including Oregon. The virus is typically spread through contact with infected rodent droppings, urine or saliva and can cause severe respiratory illness.

One of those closely following Kornfeld's story is Bend resident Susie Moon. Fifteen years ago, Moon lost her son, Brad, to hantavirus.

"He died in October of 2010," she said.

Because of that experience, she understands how dangerous the disease can be and why Kornfeld's actions resonated with so many people.

"Oh, very brave," Moon said.

She believes the Bend doctor deserves special recognition for stepping forward during the crisis. "He should be thanked and awarded some kind of award for being a hero," she said. "I mean, he stepped in."

Forty-Two Days of Quarantine

After being evacuated and returned to the United States, Kornfeld and dozens of other Americans exposed during the outbreak were placed under a federally mandated 42-day quarantine period.

The patients have since been allowed to complete portions of that isolation at home, but only under strict monitoring protocols.

For Kornfeld, that means he's not entirely free yet.

"Outside my house, there's a car doing 24/7 monitoring," he said.

It's unclear whether the security presence is primarily intended to protect Kornfeld or ensure compliance with quarantine requirements, but either way, he says he's grateful to be back in Oregon.

The Oregon Health Authority helped coordinate his return to Bend, something he says not every patient has been fortunate enough to experience.

Kornfeld noted that at least one woman from Florida remains at the Nebraska quarantine facility because arrangements for around-the-clock monitoring in her home state could not be secured.

Looking Ahead

Despite the remaining weeks of isolation, Kornfeld is focused on what comes next.

The longtime Central Oregon resident says he misses the outdoors more than anything.

"I just want to get up in the mountains," he said. "I live in Central Oregon for a reason, and I want to go out and be in Central Oregon."

For now, he'll have to wait a little longer.

Medical plans are already in place should he develop symptoms. St. Charles Health System is prepared to care for him if necessary, and specialized facilities in Portland have also been alerted and stand ready should a higher level of care ever be needed.

Everyone involved hopes those plans will never be used.

For Kornfeld, the goal is simple: finish quarantine, stay healthy and finally return to the life he temporarily left behind when a vacation turned into an international medical emergency.

Until then, he says he's grateful for the support he's received from Central Oregonians, healthcare workers and complete strangers who have followed his story from thousands of miles away.