France confirms first Ebola case in Europe

French health authorities confirmed the country’s first Ebola case on 24 June 2026. The patient is a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where the current outbreak is driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain and has resulted in over 1 000 infections and several hundred deaths. The doctor was placed in isolation immediately upon arrival at a specialised high‑containment facility and is reported to be in stable condition.

French officials activated national biosecurity protocols, began an epidemiological investigation and started contact tracing. All identified contacts are to undergo a 21‑day home‑quarantine with medical monitoring. The Ministry of Health and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu emphasised that the risk to the general public in France and the wider European region remains very low, a view echoed by the World Health Organization.

The outbreak in the DRC continues to challenge health systems, with inadequate contact‑tracing coverage and limited access to clean water. No approved vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain, prompting international agencies to accelerate research and support efforts in the affected region.