French authorities confirm case of Ebola in mainland France

France on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor who had returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The health ministry "confirms today the identification of a first positive case of Ebola virus disease on national territory", it said in a statement, adding that the patient has been isolated.

The ministry indicated that the case was identified in mainland France.

According to sources close to him, the Prime Minister is monitoring the situation "very closely."

It's the first time an Ebola case has been diagnosed in France. In 2014, during a major outbreak in West Africa, two patients were treated in France, but they had already been diagnosed abroad before being transferred.

A small number of cases were, however, detected at that time in the UK and US. 

The DRC, from which the diagnosed doctor had returned, is currently experiencing a major outbreak of the disease, which causes a hemorrhagic fever that is often fatal.

The French case is the first identified outside the African continent in connection with this outbreak, which is also affecting Uganda. The outbreak involves a rare strain of the virus known as Bundibugyo, for which there is neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment.

Public health experts generally believe that the risk of the outbreak spreading worldwide remains low because the Ebola virus is relatively less contagious than many other infectious diseases.

"The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has assessed the risk of infection as low for European residents and travelers visiting areas with active transmission, and very low for the general European population," the Ministry of Health said.

"All precautionary measures, including the patient's isolation, were taken as soon as he arrived on national territory, with a secure transfer to hospital in order to avoid any risk of contamination," the ministry also stated.

An investigation is underway to identify any potential contacts, who will be instructed to self-isolate at home for 21 days.

Transmission accelerating

In mid-June, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that transmission of the outbreak was accelerating in the DRC despite strengthened public health response measures. 

Congo's Ebola outbreak, which has infected more than 1,000 people and killed 267, has had the largest number of confirmed cases within the first month of any episode of the disease, the World Health Organisation has said.

In May, the WHO/Europe "activated an emergency Coordination Cell (ECC) to work on scenario-based planning to support Member States to enhance their preparedness and operational readiness."

The WHO has established a Border Health Partners Coordination Group and is actively monitoring public health and social measures, issuing updates to Member States to ensure information sharing and common understanding as the situation evolves.

Last month, tests for two suspected patients hospitalized in isolation at the Sacco Hospital in Milan came back negative for Ebola, with Italy's Health Ministry insisting that the risk of Ebola in the country "remains very low".