France has confirmed its inaugural case of Ebola, involving a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The individual was promptly admitted to a specialized medical facility and is reported to be in stable condition, according to the French health ministry on Wednesday.
The DRC declared an Ebola outbreak last month, although health experts suggest the virus may have been spreading for weeks prior.
Over 260 fatalities have been attributed to the virus in the central African nation, with approximately 1,000 individuals infected.
This marks the first confirmed Ebola case in Europe, although an American physician who tested positive while in the DRC was treated at a hospital in Germany last month.
Uganda, a neighboring country to the DRC, has also reported cases of Ebola, with the World Health Organization (WHO) confirming 20 infections and two deaths there.
In its statement, France’s health ministry emphasized that the risk to the general population remains “very low.”
Authorities are actively working to identify individuals who may have had contact with the infected doctor.
Healthcare professionals are particularly vulnerable to Ebola, which spreads through bodily fluids.
Last week, the WHO reported that 17 out of 75 healthcare workers who contracted the virus in the DRC had succumbed to it.
The ongoing outbreak is attributed to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which no vaccine currently exists.
In response, France has established a “dedicated monitoring system” for aid workers returning from the DRC.
Both Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and U.S. public health authorities have indicated that this outbreak has the potential to become one of the largest on record.
Within the DRC, cases are primarily concentrated in the eastern provinces of Ituri, South Kivu, and North Kivu, with Ituri accounting for over 90% of confirmed infections.
The WHO has raised concerns that ongoing conflict in eastern DRC complicates efforts to manage the Ebola outbreak, particularly with the M23 rebel group controlling significant portions of North and South Kivu.
By: Magdalene Agyeiwaa Sarpong