Ebola in France: Five people who came into contact with an infected doctor to be quarantined for 21 days

© picture alliance/dpa | Eva Krafczyk

Five people who were on the same flight in France as the doctor diagnosed with Ebola have been placed in home isolation for 21 days. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist announced this on Wednesday on the French television channel France 2.

Authorities have indicated that the doctor was initially asymptomatic but began to show mild symptoms during the trip, after which he was admitted to a specialized ward. His condition has remained stable.

France is the first country outside of Africa where a case of Ebola has been confirmed in connection with the current epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, French health authorities have emphasized that the risk to the general population remains very low.

The patient had returned from an area where the virus is actively circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo—a country facing a particularly severe outbreak. According to official figures, the epidemic has already caused 1,048 infections and 267 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of approximately 25%.

This epidemic is also affecting Uganda, albeit to a lesser extent. It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is neither a vaccine nor a specific treatment.

Thanks to Air France, French authorities were able to compile a passenger manifest, which allowed them to quickly identify which individuals needed to be monitored. The Ministry of Health has stated that it wishes to reassure the public by clarifying that the doctor had complied with health regulations and that he was placed in isolation immediately upon arrival at the airport.

The NGO Alima, for which the doctor worked, says it wants to determine how the infection occurred. The organization points out that preventive measures were intended to protect its teams, while the World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) assess the overall risk of transmission to the general public as low.

Illustration picture: © picture alliance/dpa | Eva Krafczyk