France confirms Ebola virus in patient who worked in DR of Congo

Health workers tend to an Ebola patient at the Rwampara Treatment Center in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

A positive case of Ebola virus has been identified in France in a patient travelling back from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the French Ministry of Health said.

The individual, who has not been identified, returned from a humanitarian mission in one of the virus transmission zones there and was taken into care at a specialised facility in France.

The person is in stable condition, the ministry said.

1,094 Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Congolese health ministry said on Wednesday there are 1,094 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 277 confirmed deaths.

The Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus does not yet have any vaccines or treatment.

Officials admit there could be far more cases they do not know about and the peak of the outbreak, which was declared May 15, could still lie ahead.

All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were taken upon their arrival in France, the health ministry said.

A paramedic transports a suspected Ebola case to a treatment center in Bunia, DR of Congo (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

It added that their transfer to a hospital was carried out under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination.

“An in-depth epidemiological investigation is under way to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient,” the ministry said.

It said a regional health agency will closely monitor the individual during a 21-day home isolation.