France has recorded its first Ebola case after a doctor returned from a humanitarian assignment in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the French Ministry of Health said the medic was swiftly transferred to a specialised treatment centre and is currently in stable condition.
The case comes amid an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC, which was officially declared last month. However, health experts believe the virus had been spreading undetected for several weeks before authorities confirmed the outbreak.
To date, more than 1,000 infections have been reported in the Central African nation, with over 260 fatalities linked to the disease.
The French case marks the first confirmed Ebola infection in Europe during the current outbreak. Last month, an American doctor who contracted the virus while working in the DRC received treatment at a hospital in Germany.
The outbreak has also crossed into neighbouring Uganda, where the World Health Organization (WHO) reports at least 20 confirmed infections and two deaths.
French authorities emphasized that the risk to the general public remains extremely low. Officials have launched contact-tracing efforts to identify and monitor individuals who may have interacted with the infected doctor.
Healthcare workers remain among the most vulnerable groups, as Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which no approved vaccine is currently available.
France has introduced a dedicated surveillance programme for aid workers returning from the DRC as part of efforts to prevent further transmission.
According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and U.S. health authorities, the outbreak has the potential to become one of the largest Ebola epidemics on record.
Within the DRC, infections are concentrated in the eastern provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu. Ituri remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for more than 90 per cent of all confirmed cases.
