Trending 
A doctor who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has become France’s first confirmed Ebola case following a major outbreak in the Central African nation.
The case marks the first confirmed Ebola infection detected outside Africa during the current outbreak, which began in the DRC and later spread to neighbouring Uganda.
It is also the first time France has identified an Ebola case within its territory. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, two infected patients were transferred to France for treatment, but both had been diagnosed before arriving in the country.
According to the French Ministry of Health, the patient boarded a commercial flight from Kinshasa and was “almost asymptomatic”, experiencing only headaches.
The ministry said the patient’s condition slightly deteriorated during the flight. Upon arrival in Paris, the individual was immediately isolated and placed under medical care, even before Ebola was formally diagnosed.
Health authorities said the patient remains in a stable condition and has a very low viral load.
The ministry added that contact-tracing efforts are underway to identify and monitor anyone who may have been exposed to the virus.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou said he was monitoring the situation “very closely”, while the health ministry stressed that the risk of transmission to the general public remains low.
According to official figures, the DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak, declared on May 15, has recorded more than 1,000 cases and 267 deaths, representing a fatality rate of about 25 per cent.
Meanwhile, an American surgeon, Peter Stafford, who contracted Ebola while working with the Serge charity in the DRC, was flown to Germany for treatment.
Earlier this month, a hospital in Berlin announced that Stafford had fully recovered and was discharged after 17 days of treatment.
