A positive case of Ebola disease has been identified in France, a first for the Western European country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the patient is a healthcare worker from the NGO Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) who contracted the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) before returning to France.
“This case is a reminder of the risks faced by frontline defenders. Almost 80 health workers have been infected,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during a press conference on June 24, 2026, at the organization’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. “The risk to the rest of the world remains low.”
Since May 15, the DRC has been facing a new Ebola outbreak. This time caused by the Bundibugyo variant, a strain of the disease for which there is currently no approved treatment or vaccine. Since the outbreak was declared, the death toll has continued to rise. According to the latest figures, 1,048 confirmed cases have been reported, including 267 deaths.
Mongabay contacted the French Ministry of Health, which declined to comment. During an interview given by the health minister, Stéphanie Rist, on national television.
She said the infected health care worker had arrived in France at the very beginning of the illness. “He did not know he was sick; he showed no symptoms and was not contagious,” Rist said. “During the flight, he developed headaches and alerted the crew. He was taken into care upon landing and is currently in isolation at a hospital.”
She added that five people who were on the flight with the doctor are considered “potential contacts cases” and have been placed in isolation to prevent any possible spread of the disease.
“Contamination prevention measures have been in place since the beginning of our intervention to protect our teams,” a statement from ALIMA said. “However, in a context of high viral circulation, where our medical teams are exposed, we are working to understand how the contamination may have occurred.”
Ebola is a zoonotic disease, like malaria or COVID, meaning it was originally transmitted from animals to humans. Although the animal source of the virus has not yet been identified, human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with bodily fluids including sweat, blood, saliva and semen. Infected individuals cannot transmit the disease until they develop symptoms, and they remain contagious as long as the virus is present in their blood.
WHO remains optimistic about the response to the outbreak. “More than 100 people have now recovered. With early detection and supportive care, many can survive this disease,” Ghebreyesus said during a media briefing on June 24. “Preparations are now complete for the trial of two therapeutics that is expected to start in DRC next week.”
Banner image: Relatives attend the funeral of an Ebola victim in Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on Friday, June 19, 2026. Image by Moses Sawasawa, Associated Press.
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