First published in Respekt.

American physician Patrick LaRochelle has spent eighteen days inside a sealed biobox at Prague Bulovka hospital, monitoring for Ebola symptoms. Only suited medical staff can enter his area, and Respekt spoke with him remotely about the experience.

Here is his account.

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"The window offers a real advantage, even if I cannot reach or open it for fresh air. Upon arrival the blinds stayed shut and I worried about missing daylight for days. Yet sunlight greeted me upon waking, which felt wonderful and continues to do so," LaRochelle said while indicating the city skyline and Zizkov TV tower beyond the glass.

The exchange occurs via Zoom. A transparent tent several meters across occupies the room center, keeping him fully enclosed. The window lies outside his reach behind the tent wall. "I have a small fridge, bed, books, phone, computer and washing area, so all essentials are here except my family. Today marks sixteen years together with my wife Anna, and I miss her and the children deeply," LaRochelle said.

Remote contact only is possible with his wife and three children. "I look forward to seeing them," he added. The exact timing remains unknown because the Ebola incubation window lasts twenty-one days and symptoms can appear at the end.

The present strain spreads mainly through blood or fluids and carries a thirty to fifty percent fatality rate. Bulovka serves as Czechia's only civilian hospital prepared for such cases, with Těchonín as the military backup. LaRochelle stays on the fourth floor under maximum isolation. "Doctors administered monoclonal antibodies right after admission and have watched me closely since," he said.

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Media images from his late-May arrival in Prague resembled scenes from science-fiction films. A patient inside a plastic enclosure on a wheeled stretcher was moved into the dim hospital by staff in orange protective gear. Police oversaw the transfer and kept unauthorized people at least one hundred meters away.

The enclosure entered the biobox and LaRochelle moved into his current space without outside exposure. Medical teams monitor him around the clock. Two staff members watch via cameras from a separate room, with one in-person visit daily when required. Because he shows no symptoms, direct visits occur less often as each requires complex preparation.

"Before entering, staff must don a sealed full-body suit. They first attach a powered air-purifying respirator that supplies filtered air," explained Hana Roháčová, head of the Infectious Diseases Clinic. "The process takes twenty minutes and demands precision to prevent any contact with possible infection. No error can be tolerated."

The exit routine is equally strict. Staff first enter an attached decontamination chamber, shower in disinfectant for ten minutes while suited, then wait another ten minutes for the solution to act. Only then is the suit removed and destroyed. All waste from the room, including biological material, follows the same disposal path.

Meals arrive through a secured negative-pressure chamber that prevents any outward escape of particles. LaRochelle wears no protective gear inside his space. During the Respekt interview he appeared in an open checked shirt, calm and positive. "I must praise the care provided here. I am truly thankful to your country," he said.

Everything Required on Hand

Blocking All Contact

Minister, will you help us?