June 24, 2026, 12:35 p.mJune 24, 2026, 12:35 p.m
The first illness linked to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been detected in France. A humanitarian aid doctor who returned from the Central African country tested positive, the French Ministry of Health said.
Immediately after his arrival, the man was taken to a hospital and isolated to avoid any risk of infection. The Ministry of Health said the man’s condition was stable. It is being investigated who was in contact with him. The contact persons should be quarantined at home for 21 days.
Shortly before the start of the World Cup, WHO Europe said there were no active Ebola cases in the EU and no local transmission. The overall risk remains low. In the meantime, only one US doctor was flown to Germany and was treated at the Berlin Charité. He has now been released after recovering from illness.
More than 1,000 confirmed cases in Congo
Ebola fever is a life-threatening disease. The virus is transmitted through physical contact and contact with body fluids. The current outbreak is particularly difficult to contain, also because there is currently neither a vaccine nor a special therapy for the Ebola pathogen of the Bundibugyo type.
Since the outbreak was announced in May, the number of confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to more than 1,000. According to the Ministry of Information in Kinshasa, more than 260 of those confirmed to have Ebola have died in three northeastern provinces of the country. (hkl/sda/dpa)