France has confirmed its first case of Ebola in a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The patient, who was virtually asymptomatic except for headaches during a commercial flight from Kinshasa, was immediately isolated upon arrival in Paris and is now in stable condition with a very low viral load. French health authorities are tracing potential contacts and have stressed that the risk to the general population remains "very low."
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated that the global risk of Ebola remains low, despite the outbreak in the DRC, which has recorded over 1,000 cases and 267 deaths since May 15. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus urged against overreaction, noting that fewer than 30 Ebola cases have been detected outside Africa in the past 50 years. The current outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, has no available vaccine or treatment.
In the DRC, the outbreak is concentrated in the eastern provinces of Ituri, South Kivu, and North Kivu, regions plagued by armed conflict and instability. The WHO has classified the public health risk as "very high" for the DRC, "high" for neighboring Uganda, and "low" for the rest of the world. Uganda has also reported 20 cases and two deaths.
France has established a dedicated monitoring system for aid workers returning from the DRC, and the patient was transferred to a specialized facility equipped to handle highly contagious diseases. The WHO has advised countries to support the safe deployment of personnel responding to the outbreak, ensuring clear risk communication and evacuation protocols.
The case marks the second Ebola infection confirmed in Europe during this outbreak, following an American doctor who was treated in Germany last month. The doctor and his family were discharged and returned to the U.S. in June.