France confirms first ever case of Ebola in doctor returning from DRC
A doctor returning from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to France has tested positive for Ebola, the French health ministry announced on Wednesday.
It’s the first case of the hemorrhagic fever ever detected in France and the first confirmed case outside the African continent during the current outbreak.
In 2014, during a major outbreak in West Africa, two patients were transported to France, but they had been diagnosed abroad.
The ministry of health said the doctor had been isolated on arrival in France, even before the disease was officially identified.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is monitoring the situation “very closely,” his office said.
More than 1,000 cases of Ebola, including 267 deaths, have been identified in the DRC since the outbreak was announced in mid-May. Uganda has confirmed 20 cases and two deaths.
The Bundibugyo strain of the virus that has caused the outbreak currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Pubic health experts say the risk of the outbreak spreading worldwide is low due to the relatively low contagiousness of the Ebola virus.
