France confirms first Ebola case as DRC outbreak surpasses 1,000 infections
by The Washington Times AI News Desk · The Washington TimesFrance on Wednesday confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as a humanitarian aid doctor who recently returned from a mission to the outbreak region tested positive for the virus, the French Ministry of Social Affairs and Health announced.
The French Health Ministry said the healthcare worker had been operating in one of the areas where the virus was actively circulating. According to the ministry, the doctor boarded a commercial flight from Kinshasa while nearly asymptomatic, experiencing only headaches, and his condition worsened slightly during the flight. The doctor was isolated on arrival in France, even before the disease was officially confirmed, and was then transferred under secure conditions to a specialized treatment facility, where he was said to be in stable condition.
Officials said a thorough epidemiological investigation is underway to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient, who will be contacted by the regional health agency before undergoing 21 days of home isolation under close monitoring. The ministry said the risk to the French population remained “very low” due to an established monitoring system for aid workers returning from the DRC.
The French case is the second confirmed Ebola infection in Europe stemming from the current outbreak. The first was American surgeon Dr. Peter Stafford, who contracted the Bundibugyo strain of the virus while doing medical missionary work in the Congo with the Pennsylvania-based Christian missions organization Serge. Mr. Stafford was evacuated to Charite University Hospital in Berlin on May 20 and received antiviral therapy and additional supportive medical measures during the first week of his treatment, with his condition consistently improving.
Mr. Stafford, his wife Rebekah — also a doctor — and their four children all arrived safely back in the United States on June 16, according to Serge. Mr. Stafford had been Ebola-free since May 30.
“I am filled with gratitude to God for preserving my life, to all those who prayed on my behalf, and to the many medical providers who cared for me,” Mr. Stafford said in a statement. “I am feeling well and thankful to be reunited with Rebekah and the kids. Our prayers continue for those in Congo who are facing this devastating epidemic and for the ongoing efforts to control the disease.”
The DRC outbreak, driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus for which no approved vaccine or treatment exists, has expanded with alarming speed. The Congolese health ministry said Wednesday there are 1,094 confirmed cases of Ebola and 277 confirmed deaths, making it the worst Ebola outbreak in history in terms of case numbers during its first month. It took just 37 days for the current outbreak to reach 250 deaths, compared to 78 days during the 2014 and 2016 West Africa outbreaks and 130 days during the 2018-2019 DRC outbreak.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Tuesday that the outbreak is continuing to outpace response efforts, with contact tracing described as inadequate, treatment capacity insufficient and safe burials remaining a major challenge.
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The outbreak is believed to have originated in Mongbwalu, a mining town of roughly 130,000 residents in the DRC’s Ituri province, though epidemiologists have not confirmed that hypothesis. Community leaders there have said residents were slow to recognize that a growing wave of illness and death was caused by Ebola, in part because itinerant gold miners in the impoverished area frequently fall ill for a variety of reasons. More than 50 people in the town are said to have died from Ebola-like symptoms before the DRC government officially declared the outbreak on May 15.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has committed $107 million in emergency funding to support the response to the growing outbreak in the DRC and Uganda.
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