France Reports First Ebola Case in Europe

Thu Jun 25 2026 06:37:15 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

A French doctor on a humanitarian mission from the DR Congo tests positive for Ebola – marking the continent’s first confirmed case amid a growing outbreak.

France has confirmed the first European Ebola case after a doctor returned from a mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The patient was admitted immediately to a specialised facility and is stable. The outbreak has killed more than 260 people and infected about 1,000 in DRC, with health workers particularly at risk. WHO and French authorities stress the need for contact tracing and a low global risk, while conflict in eastern DRC hampers containment efforts.

France Reports First Ebola Case in Europe

France has confirmed the first European case of Ebola after a doctor returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The patient was immediately admitted to a specialised facility and is currently stable, the health ministry said on Wednesday, 24 June 2026.

The outbreak, announced last month and now in its sixth week, has killed more than 260 people in DRC and infected about 1,000. Health workers remain the most vulnerable group.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the global risk is low but reiterated the need for vigilant contact tracing. France has launched a monitoring system for aid workers returning from DRC.

DR Congo’s eastern provinces of Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu carry the bulk of cases, with Ituri accounting for over 90% of confirmed infections. Conflict in the region further hampers outbreak containment.

Meanwhile, Uganda reports 20 infections and two deaths. In France, no widespread transmission is expected, authorities say.