France has confirmed its first case of Ebola. The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that the infection was identified in a doctor who had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The patient is currently found to have a very low viral load, and health officials are in the process of identifying potential contacts.
This is the first case identified outside of the African continent during the current outbreak, and it marks the first time Ebola has been detected in France. Previously, in 2014 during a major West African outbreak, two patients were brought to France; however, those cases had been diagnosed abroad. According to the Ministry of Health, the physician was placed in isolation upon his arrival in France, even before the illness was officially confirmed.
The outbreak in the DRC was first recognized on May 15th following several unexplained deaths in the Ituri eastern province. Uganda has also been affected by this outbreak. The specific strain, the Bundibugyo strain, for which the outbreak is responsible, currently lacks an approved vaccine or treatment.
