First case of Ebola virus confirmed in France

On June 24, 2026, French health authorities confirmed the first case of the Ebola virus within the country. The patient is a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The individual has been placed in isolation, and authorities have initiated contact tracing protocols to monitor potential exposures. The virus involved is the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is currently no vaccine or established treatment. The DRC is experiencing a major outbreak, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting approximately 1,000 infections and 267 deaths since the emergency was declared on May 15. The WHO notes this as the highest case count recorded within the first month of an Ebola epidemic. While France and the WHO maintain that the risk to the European general population remains low, the French Prime Minister, Stéphane Séjourné, is monitoring the situation closely. Additionally, neighboring Uganda has reported 20 cases and two fatalities related to this same outbreak.