France has confirmed its first case of Ebola linked to the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), officials announced. The patient is a doctor who had recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the DRC, the epicenter of the ongoing epidemic.
Health officials stated that the infected individual is in mainland France and is currently in stable condition. The patient has been isolated to prevent further transmission of the virus, identified as the rare Bundibugyo strain. This is the second time a patient infected with Ebola in the DRC has been treated in Europe, following an American doctor flown to Berlin in May.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak in the DRC an international health emergency on May 17. Official figures indicate over 1,000 cases and more than 260 deaths since May. However, aid organization Oxfam has raised concerns that the true scale of the outbreak may be significantly larger, with fears the virus could be spreading undetected due to a lack of resources in the Ituri region of the DRC.
This current outbreak is considered one of the fastest-spreading since the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, which caused over 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the health response is struggling to keep pace with the epidemic's spread.
Oxfam has highlighted critical deficiencies in the affected region, noting that only one in five health facilities in Ituri have access to clean water, a crucial element in preventing transmission. They also reported that frontline health workers lack basic protective equipment, which hinders containment efforts. Contact tracing, a vital tool in managing outbreaks, is reaching only 43% of known contacts in the current epidemic, significantly lower than in previous outbreaks in the same region.
The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which currently has no vaccine, has a high fatality rate in past outbreaks, with many deaths resulting from internal bleeding and organ failure. Experts have warned that without adequate protective measures, the virus is likely to continue spreading.
In response to the growing concerns, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has urged hospitals and healthcare providers to prepare for potential imported cases. Guidance has been issued to ensure rapid identification and isolation of suspected Ebola patients, with healthcare staff reminded to consider Ebola in acutely unwell individuals with a fever who have traveled from affected regions within the 21-day incubation period. Strict infection control procedures and immediate escalation to specialist public health teams are required for suspected cases, as Ebola is a notifiable disease in the UK.
Scientists at Oxford University are working on developing a vaccine, but anticipate it will take at least two to three months before human trials can begin, making it unlikely to be available for patients in Africa within the next six months. The Bundibugyo strain was first identified in 2007 and re-emerged in the DRC in 2012, with previous outbreaks being relatively contained.
Ebola is thought to spread through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated surfaces. Infected persons can be contagious for up to 21 days before symptoms appear.