A French doctor tested positive for Ebola after returning home from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the French Ministry of Health said on Wednesday.
A list of passengers that the patient was in contact with on the Air France flight is being reported to the health authorities, according to France 24, and the risk of a wider outbreak appears to be relatively low. The low risk, particularly in France and across Europe, is attributed to better access to hygiene and generally cleaner and less cramped living conditions.
The infected doctor was isolated when he arrived in France before he was officially diagnosed, the health ministry said. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said he is monitoring the situation “very closely.”
Ebola is a rare but sometimes fatal illness with early symptoms that may include fever, aches, pains, and fatigue. As the illness progresses, symptoms may shift to “wet” symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ebola is often spread through contact with bodily fluids.
This strain of Ebola is known as Bundibugyo — which is rare and does not have a vaccine or treatments — but is typically less deadly. The fatality rate for the Bundibugyo strain is around 25%, just half of the Ebola average fatality rate of 50%. This is the first Ebola case detected in France, and the only one reported outside of Africa during this current outbreak.
The 17th Ebola outbreak in the DRC was declared on May 15 after there were several deaths in the eastern Ituri province.
Last week, it was revealed that the first line of defense against Ebola had collapsed. The number of infected has risen faster for this outbreak of Bundibugyo than any past Ebola outbreak on record, according to the CDC. Around 781 people are infected, and 267 are dead, making this the second-largest outbreak the DRC has ever faced, but Oxfam said the true number is most likely much higher.
Some cases in the North Kivu province have only been identified as Ebola after the patient has died, meaning they were unaware they had the illness and could not take any precautions.
The DRC’s water infrastructure and contact tracing programme are at a breaking point. People do not have access to clean water or hygiene facilities. In Ituri, the worst-affected area, only one in five health centers has access to enough clean water.
Health experts believe the risk for a worldwide outbreak is relatively low due to the low contagiousness of the virus.
The CDC has not reported any outbreaks in the United States.
