Ebola now in France too. Infected doctor returned from a mission in Congo, where the epidemic is growing at the fastest rate in Africa's history

France confirmed its first case of Ebola during the current epidemic on Wednesday. A doctor from a humanitarian organization, who had returned from a mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, tested positive. This is only the second confirmed case exported outside the African continent during this epidemic — after the American healthcare worker who was evacuated to Berlin's Charité hospital in May. Al Jazeera ↗

The news came as the number of confirmed cases in Congo surpassed one thousand. UN and World Health Organization officials warned that this is the highest number of confirmed cases recorded in the first month of any Ebola epidemic in Africa. UN News ↗

Doctor with a "very low" viral load

According to the French Ministry of Health, the infected doctor had been working in one of the areas where the virus is actively circulating. After arriving in France, he was immediately transferred to a hospital and isolated to rule out any risk of transmission. Authorities stated that the man has a "very low" viral load and his condition is stable, while health workers are currently tracing his contacts. France 24 ↗

The patient is being treated at a specialized facility under strict biological protocols. French authorities emphasized that the case was caught early and that they consider the risk of further spread within the country to be low. ABC News ↗

Epidemic in Congo growing at a record pace

In Congo itself, the situation is worsening. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and data from the Congolese Ministry of Health, as of June 23 there were 1,118 confirmed cases, 291 deaths, and 408 people hospitalized in isolation. The epicenter is Ituri province with 1,020 cases, with a further 95 cases reported in North Kivu and three in South Kivu. Neighboring Uganda confirmed 20 cases. ECDC ↗

Although it lags behind the catastrophic West African epidemic of 2014–2016 in terms of case numbers, it is spreading unusually fast — it took the infection just 37 days to reach 250 deaths, compared to 78 days in West Africa at the time. The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no licensed vaccine exists. The approved vaccine Ervebo targets a different strain of the virus, the Zaire strain. The fight against the outbreak is further complicated by armed conflict with rebels and weak healthcare infrastructure. ECDC ↗

Dispute over travel restrictions reignites

The French case is reviving the transatlantic debate over how harshly Europe should respond. The United States had earlier pushed for the introduction of travel restrictions before the start of the football World Cup, but both Belgium and several scientists rejected this as a disproportionate measure. The Washington Post ↗

Also read: Congo's Ebola outbreak has 598 cases and 115 deaths. The US is demanding lockdowns from Europe before the World Cup; Belgium and scientists reject it as disproportionate

Outside Africa, only two cases have been confirmed so far — in Germany and France. Suspected cases in Brazil and Italy were not confirmed by testing. Brazilian authorities described the risk of spread to South America as very low. It remains an open question whether, given such rapid growth of the infection, the outbreak can be contained within the African continent, how quickly manufacturers will be able to secure a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain, and whether the virus will also affect the ongoing World Cup, in which Congo's national team is also playing. NBC News ↗