France: Health authorities detect the first case of Ebola in a doctor who arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Authorities have already activated the appropriate protocols for isolating and monitoring the patient and his close contacts in order to prevent any secondary transmission.
A healthcare worker—File photo
French health authorities confirmed on Wednesday the first case of Ebola on French soil. The patient is a doctor who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where a major Ebola outbreak is underway.
The French Ministry of Health announced in a statement that it has identified “the first confirmed case of Ebola virus disease on French soil.” The case was detected in mainland France and marks the first time Ebola has been diagnosed within the country.
According to AFP, the country has already activated the appropriate protocols for the isolation and monitoring of the patient and their close contacts, in order to prevent any secondary transmission.
During the major 2014 epidemic in West Africa, France received two patients, but both had previously been diagnosed abroad.
A rare strain with no specific vaccine
The patient returned from the DRC, the epicenter of a major Ebola outbreak that is also affecting Uganda. This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a relatively rare variant of the virus for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
Ebola causes hemorrhagic fever and has a high mortality rate in many cases. According to official figures from the DRC, there have been 896 cases and 232 deaths, although experts estimate that the actual numbers could be considerably higher due to underreporting.
Low risk of spread in Europe
The World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that transmission is accelerating in the DRC despite the containment measures that have been implemented. However, the low contagiousness of the Ebola virus significantly reduces the risk of widespread transmission outside the affected areas.
LATEST
