France confirms 1st Ebola case in doctor who returned from Congo

France has confirmed its first Ebola case in a doctor who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where an outbreak has killed more than 270 people, according to health officials. The patient is in stable condition.

The French Ministry of Health said the doctor had returned from a humanitarian mission in one of the areas where Ebola is circulating in Congo. The patient was immediately placed under care at a specialized health facility.

Officials said the patient is being treated under strict biosafety protocols, including isolation in a negative-pressure room, and that measures were taken upon arrival in France to prevent any risk of transmission.

An epidemiological investigation is underway to identify anyone who may have had contact with the doctor. Those contacts will be notified by regional health authorities, ordered to isolate at home for 21 days and monitored during that period.

The case comes as Congo is battling an Ebola outbreak that was declared on May 15 and has spread in several provinces, mostly in Ituri.

As of Tuesday, Congo has reported 1,094 cases and 277 deaths, while neighboring Uganda has reported 20 cases and 2 deaths, according to a BNO News count based on health ministry and World Health Organization (WHO) data.

The outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo virus, a species of Ebola virus for which there are no approved vaccines or therapeutics. Ebola can spread through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected people or those who have died from the disease.

WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17 because of active transmission in Congo’s Ituri province.

French officials said a dedicated monitoring system has been put in place for humanitarian workers returning to France from affected areas.