Ebola outbreak reaches France with initial confirmed diagnosis

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France on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor back from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is fighting a major outbreak.

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The case is the first of the deadly haemorrhagic fever identified outside the African continent during the current outbreak, which has also affected Uganda.

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It’s also the first time Ebola has been detected in France.

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In 2014, during a major outbreak in West Africa, two patients were transported to France, but they had been diagnosed abroad.

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The health ministry “confirms today the identification of a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory”, said a statement.

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Contacted by AFP, the ministry specified that the case had been identified in mainland France.

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The doctor was isolated on arrival in France, even before the disease was officially identified, the ministry added.

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Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is monitoring the situation “very closely”, his office said.

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The DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several unexplained deaths in the mineral-rich but volatile eastern Ituri province.

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The Bundibugyo strain of the virus that has caused the outbreak currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.

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Public health experts estimate that the risk of the outbreak spreading worldwide remains low, due to the relatively low contagiousness of the Ebola virus.

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AFP

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