France has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo tested positive for the virus.
According to BBC, the doctor was immediately admitted to a specialised medical facility and is currently in stable condition, the French health ministry announced on Wednesday.
The case comes amid a worsening Ebola outbreak in DR Congo, where health authorities have confirmed more than 1,000 infections and over 260 deaths since the outbreak was officially declared last month. Experts, however, believe the virus had been circulating for weeks before its detection.
French authorities said the risk to the general population remains “very low” and confirmed that efforts are underway to trace individuals who may have come into contact with the infected doctor.
Healthcare workers are considered particularly vulnerable to Ebola infection because the virus spreads through contact with bodily fluids.
The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine.
France said it has established a dedicated monitoring system for aid workers returning from DR Congo as part of measures to prevent the spread of the disease.
The confirmed case is the first reported in Europe during the current outbreak, although an American doctor who contracted Ebola in DR Congo was treated at a hospital in Germany last month.
Uganda, which shares a border with DR Congo, has also recorded Ebola cases. According to the World Health Organisation, 20 infections and two deaths have been confirmed in the East African country.
Public health authorities have warned that the ongoing outbreak could become one of the largest Ebola epidemics in recent history. Both the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and United States health authorities have expressed concern over the rapid spread of the virus.
Most cases in DR Congo have been recorded in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, with Ituri accounting for more than 90 per cent of confirmed infections.
The WHO has also warned that insecurity and armed conflict in eastern DR Congo, particularly in areas controlled by the M23 rebel group, are complicating response efforts and making it more difficult for health workers to contain the outbreak.
