France Confirms First Ebola Case, Tightens Health Surveillance

France has confirmed its first case of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), involving a doctor who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where authorities are battling a significant outbreak of the disease.

The case marks the first instance of the deadly haemorrhagic fever being detected outside Africa during the current outbreak, which has also affected neighbouring Uganda.

It is also the first time Ebola has been identified within France.

Although two Ebola patients were transported to France during the 2014 West African outbreak, both had been diagnosed before arriving in the country.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the French Health Ministry said it “confirms today the identification of a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory.”

The ministry later clarified that the case was recorded in mainland France.

According to health officials, the doctor was isolated immediately upon arrival in the country, even before laboratory tests confirmed the infection.

French Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, is closely monitoring the situation, his office said.

The DRC declared its 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15 following a series of unexplained deaths in the conflict-prone Ituri Province in the eastern part of the country.

The outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.

Despite concerns over the spread of the disease, public health experts maintain that the risk of a global outbreak remains low due to the relatively limited transmissibility of the Ebola virus compared to other infectious diseases.