France has confirmed its first Ebola case in the country during the current outbreak, involving a doctor who had recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Health authorities said the case marks the first Ebola infection detected outside Africa in the ongoing outbreak, which has also affected neighbouring Uganda.
According to the French Health Ministry, the patient arrived in Paris after travelling on a commercial Air France flight from Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, and was showing only mild symptoms at the time, including a headache.
Officials said the doctor is currently in a stable condition and has a very low viral load.
Air France confirmed that the passenger had been on board one of its flights and said it had handed over the passenger manifest to French authorities for contact tracing purposes.
The airline added that the situation is now being managed by health authorities.
French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said that five other passengers who were identified as close contacts have been placed under quarantine as a precautionary measure.
The 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC was declared on May 15 following a series of unexplained deaths in the country’s eastern Ituri province.
That region, which is rich in minerals but affected by armed conflict, has been a hotspot for recurring outbreaks.
Official figures show more than 1,000 Ebola cases have been recorded so far in the current outbreak, including 267 deaths.
The present outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which currently has no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
