- France has confirmed its first case of Ebola in a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the country's health ministry.
- The doctor is in a stable condition and was immediately admitted to a specialized facility upon arrival in France.
- Authorities are tracing the patient's contacts, who will need to isolate at home for 21 days as a precautionary measure.
- The risk to the general European public is very low, according to France's health ministry.
- This is the first Ebola case confirmed in Europe, highlighting the ongoing outbreak in the DRC.
- The current Ebola outbreak is centered in Ituri province in north-eastern DRC, where authorities are struggling to contain the virus.
- As of June 21, there were 1,048 confirmed cases and 267 deaths in the DRC, according to the health ministry.
- The World Health Organization declared the outbreak and assessed the risk of infection as low for European residents.
France has confirmed its first case of Ebola in a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where an ongoing outbreak has resulted in 1,048 confirmed cases and 267 deaths as of June 21. The French health ministry reported that the patient is currently in a stable condition after being transferred to a specialized facility.1
Authorities are actively tracing the doctor’s contacts, who will be required to self-isolate for 21 days and will be closely monitored. The ministry reassured the public that the risk of infection is very low, as Ebola is not airborne but transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person.
The outbreak in the DRC is primarily centered in Ituri province, where health officials are struggling to contain the virus. Experts suggest that the actual scale of the outbreak may be much larger than reported, as the virus likely circulated undetected for weeks. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed these sentiments, stating that the risk to the rest of the world remains low and there is 'no need to panic'.
In response to the outbreak, France has implemented a 'dedicated monitoring system' for aid workers returning from the DRC, ensuring that precautionary measures are in place to prevent further spread of the virus.
“France has confirmed its first case of Ebola in a doctor who returned from the DRC. The health ministry states the risk to the general European public is very low.”
The Guardian
Euronews
