First Ebola case confirmed in France

24/06/2026

France has confirmed its first case of Ebola after a doctor returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a major outbreak is currently underway. The French Ministry of Health announced the case on Wednesday, marking the first time since the start of the latest Ebola epidemic that the virus has been detected outside Africa.

According to the ministry, the doctor's condition is stable. He was placed in isolation immediately upon arrival in France, before the diagnosis was officially confirmed. The patient's case is being monitored "very closely" by prime minister Sébastien Lecornu, his office said.

Health authorities have begun tracing anyone who may have come into contact with the doctor. Those identified will be asked to isolate at home for 21 days and will be closely monitored throughout that period.

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The Ministry of Health said that the patient has a "very low" viral load. The doctor "had boarded a scheduled flight in Kinshasa when he had virtually no symptoms," the ministry said. At the time, he was reportedly suffering only from a headache. His condition subsequently "deteriorated slightly during the flight."

The case comes as efforts to contain the outbreak in Central Africa continue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), clinical trials of two potential Ebola treatments, MBP-134 and remdesivir, are due to begin in Congo next week.

"The preparations are complete," said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. More than 100 people have already recovered from the disease, and Tedros said that "we could save many more people with medicines or vaccines." The two antiviral treatments are expected to be tested both individually and in combination.

Nearly 1,100 confirmed Ebola cases and 277 deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while neighbouring Uganda has reported 20 confirmed cases.

Despite the spread of the outbreak, Tedros stressed that the global risk remains low.

^{Medical staff walk towards the doffing and decontamination station at the Evangelical Medical Center of Nyankunde (CME) after providing care to patients suffering from or suspected of having Ebola virus disease in Bunia, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 13, 2026. © PHOTO JOSPIN MWISHA / AFP}

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