France's first Ebola patient, a humanitarian doctor, recovers and leaves hospital after negative tests

The patient and his journey

The doctor, working for the NGO Alima, flew from Kinshasa to Paris on an Air France flight on June 23. He had only mild symptoms, including headaches, and was almost asymptomatic. Upon arrival, he was isolated at the airport and then transported to a hospital. Humanitarian workers are normally required to undergo a three-week quarantine after contact with infected cases.

Treatment and recovery

He received medical care and strict monitoring. After two negative PCR tests, he was declared cured and left the hospital on July 4. Health Minister Stéphanie Rist confirmed the recovery.

He today left the medical establishment where he was being treated.

He remained very mildly symptomatic and was subject to strict medical care and monitoring, in full compliance with health protocols.

Contact tracing and isolation

Five other passengers on the flight were identified as contacts and placed in home isolation for 21 days as a precaution. The minister praised the system's robustness.

This demonstrates the robustness of our surveillance, isolation and response system for exceptional health risks.

The outbreak in DR Congo

The DRC outbreak was declared on May 15 and has since killed at least 438 people among 1,406 confirmed cases, according to government figures from July 2. The strain is Bundibugyo, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment. The outbreak also affects Uganda. This was the first case identified outside Africa for this epidemic.

Public health context

In 2014, two Ebola patients were brought to France but diagnosed abroad. This is the first time the virus has been detected on French soil. Public health experts say the risk of global transmission remains low due to the virus's low contagiousness.