France detects a case of Ebola in a doctor who had been to Congo

BarcelonaThe French state has confirmed a first case of Ebola on its territory. The positive corresponds to a humanitarian doctor who had returned from a mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, epicenter of the current outbreak which already totals 277 deaths and 1,094 confirmed cases. According to the French executive, the man has been immediately admitted to a specialized center and is stable.

In a statement, the French government issued a message of calm: "France has specialized facilities for treating highly contagious infectious diseases. The patient is being treated in a designated healthcare facility in accordance with strict biosecurity protocols (negative pressure room, dedicated equipment and protocols). Health authorities are fully mobilized and the situation is being monitored 24 hours a day."

The French administration also assures that an "exhaustive" trace is being carried out of the people with whom this positive case could have been in contact. As soon as their names are known, these people will be contacted by health authorities and must isolate themselves at home for 21 days, a period during which they will be medically monitored.

Although the disease caused by the virus is serious and potentially fatal, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assures that, for now, the risk to the European population is "very low". Europe already received a patient infected with Ebola a few weeks ago. He was an American doctor who contracted it while working in the zero zone and was transferred to Germany for treatment.

387 hospitalized or isolated in Congo

The current outbreak, declared in mid-May, essentially affects the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Detected in northeastern DRC, the Bundibugyo variant, the cause of the current epidemic, is complicating containment, as there are no vaccines for this species of Ebolavirus. Furthermore, although it is not a new variant, detection mechanisms do not work as well as with other variants like Zaire, responsible for the majority of previous outbreaks.

Beyond the French case, 387 people are hospitalized or in isolation in the DRC. In the current outbreak, so far 115 patients have recovered from the disease. The National Institute of Public Health of the DRC warns that the intensification of epidemiological surveillance tasks, which have contributed to early detection, has made it possible to confirm in recent days that there is a "continuous and growing" transmission of the virus in the region.

A particularly worrying situation is that of people in displacement camps. Of the confirmed cases, 25 have occurred in these camps, where the population crowds together and lives in very precarious conditions that can facilitate the transmission of the virus and make the work of health services more difficult.