On 24th June (Wednesday), France confirmed its first Ebola case in the country during the present outbreak. “The Ministry of Health, Families, Autonomy, and Persons with Disabilities has confirmed the identification of the first positive case of Ebola virus disease in the country. The patient, who had returned from a humanitarian mission in one of the areas where the virus is circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was immediately admitted to a specialised facility and is in stable condition,” an official statement read.
The authorities informed that after the patient arrived in the nation, all safety precautions were taken, including isolating him and transferring him to the hospital in a secure setting to reduce the possibility of contamination. A comprehensive epidemiological study is being conducted to find anyone who might have interacted with the patient. The government assured that the regional health department will get in touch with these people right away, isolate them at home for 21 days, and keep a careful eye on them during that time.
The release mentioned, “Following the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on May 17 in response to the active circulation of the Ebola virus in Ituri Province, DRC, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has assessed the risk of infection as low for European residents and travelers to areas of active transmission, and very low for the general European population.” The return of French assistance workers to the country is monitored by a specific mechanism.
This is also the first confirmed case of Ebola in Europe, while an American physician was treated in a German hospital after he tested positive in Congo. He was discharged since no virus had been found in the patient since 30th May.
The African country declared an Ebola outbreak last month. However, experts suspect the virus has been in circulation for weeks before. 1,000 people have been infected with the virus, and over 260 deaths have been verified. Ebola cases have also been confirmed in Uganda, Congo’s neighbour. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there have been two confirmed deaths and 20 cases of infection. The uncommon Bundibugyo strain of the virus is connected to the crisis.
The two biggest prior Ebola epidemics happened in West Africa, in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia between 2014 and 2016, followed by Congo in 2018.
