France confirms its first Ebola case. A doctor who had just returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) tested positive for the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus. He was immediately admitted to a specialised facility in Paris, where he remains in stable condition, according to the French Ministry of Health.
The outbreak in DR Congo began last month, but experts say the virus had already been circulating for weeks. At the time of reporting, more than 260 people in the central African country had died, and about 1,000 were infected.
While this marks the first confirmed case in Europe, another American doctor tested positive in DR Congo earlier this month and was treated in a German hospital. In Uganda, a neighbour of DR Congo, 20 people are known to be infected and two deaths have been confirmed.
The Ministry of Health stresses that the risk to the broader population remains "very low" and that authorities are conducting extensive contact tracing for anyone who may have interacted with the patient. Healthcare workers are identified as most vulnerable, as Ebola spreads through bodily fluids.
There is currently no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain, and the WHO warns that the outbreak could become one of the largest ever, especially given ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo, where the M23 rebel group controls large areas.
France has responded by establishing a dedicated monitoring system for aid workers returning from the DRC.
