France has confirmed its first case of Ebola infection, involving a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The French Health Ministry said the patient was immediately admitted to a specialised medical facility and remains in stable condition.
Risk to public remains very low
Authorities stressed that the risk to the general population remains “very low”, while contact tracing efforts are underway to identify anyone who may have been exposed.
The government has also activated a dedicated monitoring system for aid workers returning from affected regions.
Outbreak continues in Central Africa
The Ebola outbreak in the DRC was officially declared last month, although health experts believe the virus had already been circulating for weeks before detection.
More than 260 people have died and around 1,000 infections have been recorded so far in the country.
Cases remain concentrated in eastern provinces, particularly Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu, with Ituri accounting for the vast majority of confirmed infections.
Regional spread and health worker risk
Neighbouring Uganda has also reported confirmed cases, with 20 infections and two deaths recorded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Health workers remain at high risk, with WHO reporting multiple fatalities among infected medical staff in the region.
The virus in the current Ebola outbreak has been identified as the Bundibugyo species, for which no vaccine is currently available.
Europe’s first confirmed case
This marks the first confirmed Ebola case in Europe during the current outbreak, although a US doctor who tested positive in the DRC was previously treated in Germany.
Health authorities across Africa and the United States have warned that the outbreak could become one of the largest ever recorded if not contained.
The World Health Organization has also raised concerns that ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, particularly involving armed groups in North and South Kivu, is making containment efforts significantly more difficult.
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