France confirms first Ebola case
France has confirmed its first Ebola case, a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The French health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday that the doctor was “immediately taken to a private facility” and his condition was stable.
DR Congo announced an Ebola outbreak last month, but experts think the virus has been circulating for weeks.
More than 260 people have been confirmed to have died from the virus in the Central African country, while 1,000 people have been infected with the virus.
This is the first confirmed case of Ebola in Europe. The American doctor who tested positive in the Democratic Republic of Congo was treated in a German hospital last month.
Democratic Republic of Congo’s neighbor Uganda has also confirmed cases of Ebola. The World Health Organization (WHO) said 20 people were known to be infected there and two deaths were confirmed.
The French health ministry stressed that the risk to the population is “very low”. Similarly, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said “the risk to the rest of the world is low” and “there is no need to panic.”
Efforts are continuing to capture people thought to be in contact with the doctor.
Healthcare workers are especially at risk from Ebola, which spreads through body fluids.
Last week, WHO announced that 17 of 75 healthcare workers who caught Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo died.
The current Ebola outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is currently no vaccine.
France has set up a “special monitoring system” for aid workers returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry said.
According to both the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and US public health officials, the current Ebola outbreak has the potential to be one of the largest ever.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, cases are currently concentrated in the eastern provinces of Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu.
Ituri remains the main transmission centre, accounting for more than 90% of confirmed infections.
WHO warns that conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo complicates fight against Ebola outbreak. The M23 rebel group controls large parts of both North and South Kivu.
