France on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor who had flown back from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is fighting a major outbreak.
The case is the first of the deadly haemorrhagic fever identified outside the African continent during the current outbreak, which has also affected Uganda.
It is the first time France has detected Ebola. In 2014, during an outbreak in west Africa, two patients were transported to France, but they had been diagnosed abroad.
The health ministry said it had identified "a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory".
The patient, who arrived in Paris on Tuesday, "boarded a commercial flight from Kinshasa and was almost asymptomatic — except for headaches", the ministry said.
– Air France flight –
The doctor's condition "slightly deteriorated during the flight", after which the patient was immediately isolated and taken into care upon landing in Paris, even before the disease was officially identified, the ministry added.
The patient was in a "stable condition" with a "very low" viral load, the ministry added.
The doctor travelled on an Air France flight, the airline said, adding that it had provided the passenger list to the authorities.
"Contact with these passengers is being handled by the health authorities," Air France said.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's office said he was monitoring the situation "very closely", but the health ministry stressed that the risk of transmission remained low.
The World Health Organization chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Wednesday the global risk "remains low".
ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action), an international medical humanitarian organisation, said the patient was one of its doctors.
The group said it was seeking to "understand how the contamination could have occurred".
Humanitarian workers are normally required to undergo a three-week quarantine after contact with infected cases.
According to diplomatic sources, meetings will be held later Wednesday to discuss an appropriate course of action, particularly regarding movement restrictions.
– US surgeon recovered –
The DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several unexplained deaths in the mineral-rich eastern Ituri province plagued by armed groups.
According to the latest official figures, more than 1,000 cases have been recorded, including 267 deaths, representing a fatality rate of around 25 percent.
Many experts consider it likely that the scale of the outbreak has been underestimated, as it is affecting remote regions.
The Bundibugyo strain of the virus that has caused the outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment.
Existing Ebola vaccines, developed between 2018 and 2019, are only effective against the Zaire strain, which caused previous major outbreaks.
In May, an American surgeon who contracted Ebola in the DRC was flown to Germany for treatment.
A Berlin hospital discharged the missionary earlier this month, saying he had recovered following 17 days of medical care.
The doctor, identified as Peter Stafford of the Serge charity, had received care that included "experimental therapies currently being trialled for this type of virus", said the hospital.
Public health experts estimate that the risk of the outbreak spreading worldwide remains low, due to the relatively low contagiousness of the Ebola virus.
jdy-cld-as/sw/yad
Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's World Cup Task Force, said that the Congolese team, which is currently training in Belgium, must maintain a bubble before entering the United States.
A Kenyan court has blocked a proposed U.S. Ebola quarantine facility that has triggered protests in the country.
The proposal comes as lawmakers debate ways to strengthen Social Security's finances after trustees warned the program's reserves could be depleted sooner than previously expected.
How to watch Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever host the Phoenix Mercury tonight.
The Dodgers and Twins face off in Minneapolis.
OpenAI and Broadcom announced their first custom AI chip on Wednesday.
President Trump canceled the signing of a sweeping housing affordability bill hours before the scheduled ceremony.
JPMorgan ups its S&P 500 price target for year-end, but warns of a possible 'flash crash' ahead.
The price of Brent oil futures fell below $75 per barrel for the first time since the war began, as pressures in the Persian Gulf continue to abate and oil reaches the market.
The Yankees and Tigers face off in Detroit.
Leave a Reply