France confirms first Ebola case in doctor returning from DR Congo
French health authorities have confirmed the country's first Ebola case during the current outbreak: a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has tested positive for the virus.
France has reported its first case of Ebola in the ongoing outbreak, according to the French Health Ministry. In a statement on Wednesday, June 24, the ministry said a healthcare worker returning from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had tested positive for the virus.
The doctor had been working in an area where the virus was circulating. The patient is now being treated at a leading medical facility under strict biosafety protocols. “All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were implemented upon arrival in France, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination,” the ministry said.
An epidemiological investigation is underway to identify individuals who may have come into contact with the patient. Those contacts will be instructed by health authorities to self-isolate for 21 days.
Since May, the northeastern Ituri province of the DRC has been the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 260 people and infected over 1,000 in the central African country. Cases have also been reported in neighboring Uganda.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” on May 17. Unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks in the DRC, which were caused by the Ebola Zaire strain, this outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
