WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - France has confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the current outbreak after a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) tested positive, the French Health Ministry announced last week.
According to the ministry, the healthcare worker had been working in one of the regions in the DRC where the Ebola virus is actively circulating. The patient arrived in Paris on Tuesday last week on a commercial flight from Kinshasa. Officials said the doctor was almost asymptomatic during boarding, reporting only headaches, but their condition slightly worsened during the flight. Upon arrival, the patient was immediately isolated and taken into medical care, even before Ebola was officially confirmed. Health authorities assured that the patient is in stable condition and has a very low viral load.
'The patient is being treated at a leading healthcare facility, following strict biosafety protocols,' the ministry said.
'All precautionary measures, including the patient's isolation, were implemented upon arrival in France, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination.'
This marks the first time France has detected an Ebola case within its own territory. During the 2014 West Africa Ebola outbreak, two infected patients were transported to France for treatment, but both had been diagnosed before arriving in the country.
Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said five passengers have been identified as possible close contacts and have been placed in precautionary isolation. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu's office said the government is monitoring the situation closely. The Health Ministry emphasized that the risk of transmission to the general public remains low.
Echoing that assessment, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there is no need for public panic over France's first Ebola case. Speaking at a news conference last week, he noted that fewer than 30 Ebola cases have been detected outside Africa over the past 50 years.
'That means the risk to the ?rest of the world is ?low; whether it's ?France or other countries in Europe, they shouldn't overreact, that's what ?I would like to advise,' Tedros told reporters.
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