France has confirmed the first Ebola infection ever diagnosed on its territory after a doctor returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where health authorities are battling one of the largest outbreaks in the disease’s history.
The French Health Ministry announced on Wednesday that the patient had tested positive for Ebola after arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as DRC.
According to French authorities, the doctor was isolated immediately upon arrival in France, before the infection was formally confirmed.
The patient has since been transferred to a specialist medical facility and remains in stable condition.
Health officials said the viral load detected in the patient was low and stressed that the risk to the wider public remains limited.
Authorities have begun tracing contacts linked to the case. People identified as close contacts will be monitored and required to isolate for 21 days, in line with established Ebola protocols.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government was following the situation closely.
French authorities said this is the first time an Ebola case has been identified within the country itself.
A major Ebola virus outbreak continues in eastern Congo.
According to figures cited by international health agencies, more than 1,000 confirmed infections and at least 267 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak was officially declared on 15 May.
Health experts believe the virus was circulating before the declaration, raising concerns that the true scale of the outbreak could be larger than current figures indicate.
The current epidemic is centred in Ituri Province in northeastern Congo and has also spread into neighbouring Uganda.
The World Health Organization said the outbreak recorded more confirmed cases during its first month than any previous Ebola outbreak.
The virus responsible for the epidemic is the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant for which no approved vaccine or treatment currently exists.
Scientists and pharmaceutical companies are working on vaccine candidates, but none has yet received regulatory approval.
The absence of a licensed vaccine has increased concern among health officials monitoring the outbreak.
Despite the spread in Central Africa, French authorities and international experts have stressed that the likelihood of broader transmission in Europe remains low.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person. Individuals do not become contagious until symptoms appear.
The incubation period can last up to 21 days.
Symptoms typically begin with fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headaches and sore throat. In severe cases, the disease can progress to vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and internal or external bleeding.
HT