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France records first Ebola case
France has announced its first confirmed case of Ebola in the country — a doctor who had returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo after a humanitarian mission.
Making the announcement on Wednesday, the health ministry said the doctor had flown back from DRC, where the disease has killed hundreds.
This is the first time the virus would be identified outside the African continent, especially in the wake of the current outbreak in both DRC and Uganda.
While this is the first diagnosed case in France, two patients had been transported to the country during the 2014 outbreak, though the diagnosis was carried out abroad.
According to the health ministry “a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory”, had been identified.
The ministry said the patient “boarded a commercial flight from Kinshasa and was almost asymptomatic — except for headaches.”
It further said the patient’s condition deteriorated slightly during the flight, which resulted in immediate isolation and care, even before the disease was officially identified.
The ministry added that the patient was in a “stable condition” with a low viral load, as efforts were underway to identify potential contacts.
According to the office of the French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, the situation is being closely monitored, though the health ministry noted that the risk of transmission was low.
The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), an international medical humanitarian organisation, has said the diagnosed patient was one of its doctors.
Ebola has claimed over 15,000 lives in Africa over the past 50 years.
For the current outbreak in DR Congo, official figures reveal more than 1,000 recorded cases, including 267 deaths, representing a fatality rate of around 25 percent, with the World Health Organization declaring the development an international emergency.
Uganda recently shut its border with its neighboring DR Congo, as the country had so far recorded fifteen cases, including one death, since its outbreak in DR Congo on May 15.
There is presently no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus responsible for the current outbreak.
Vaccines developed between 2018 and 2019 are only effective against the Zaire strain, which caused previous Ebola outbreaks.
