A health worker monitors visitors arriving at the Rodolphe Mérieux Laboratory, National Biomedical Research Institute (INRB) in Goma, on May 19, 2026. Photo by JOSPIN MWISHA / AFP
France has confirmed its first case of Ebola detected within its borders, involving a doctor who recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where authorities are battling a major outbreak of the deadly disease.
The case marks the first confirmed Ebola infection linked to the current outbreak to be identified outside Africa. The ongoing outbreak has also affected neighbouring Uganda.
According to the French Ministry of Health, the patient arrived in France on a commercial flight from Kinshasa and initially showed only mild symptoms, including headaches.
The ministry said the individual’s condition worsened slightly during the flight. Upon arrival in Paris, health authorities immediately isolated the patient and provided medical care, even before laboratory tests confirmed Ebola infection.
Officials said the patient is in stable condition and has a very low viral load, reducing the immediate risk of transmission.
Health authorities have launched contact-tracing efforts to identify and monitor anyone who may have been exposed to the virus.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office said the government was monitoring the situation closely, while the Health Ministry emphasised that the risk of wider transmission remains low.
The case is the first time France has recorded an Ebola infection on its territory. During the 2014 West African Ebola epidemic, two patients were transported to France for treatment after being diagnosed abroad.
Meanwhile, the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), an international humanitarian medical organisation, confirmed that the infected patient is one of its doctors.
