In France, a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in Congo tested positive for Ebola, marking the first case of the disease in the country during the current outbreak, the country's health ministry reported on Wednesday, writes UNN citing Reuters.
Details
France's health ministry "today confirms the detection of the first positive case of Ebola virus disease on the country's territory," the statement said. After an inquiry from AFP, the ministry clarified that the case was detected in mainland France.
The patient has been isolated, and authorities are tracing contacts, the ministry's statement said, adding that the risk to the European population overall is low.
According to the World Health Organization, the Ebola outbreak in Congo, which has infected over 1,000 people and claimed 267 lives, had the highest number of confirmed cases in the first month of any outbreak of the disease.
The Democratic Republic of Congo declared an Ebola outbreak last month, but experts, as noted by BBC, believe the virus had been circulating for several weeks prior.
Confirmed Ebola outbreak cases in Congo exceed 1,000, 254 people dead22.06.26, 16:53
During the current outbreak, two imported cases of Ebola have been recorded in Europe. In May 2026, a U.S. citizen who contracted the Ebola virus in Congo, as reported, began treatment in Germany.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assesses the risk of infection for people living in the EU/EEA as very low.