France’s first confirmed Ebola patient has recovered and been discharged from hospital, marking a significant milestone in the country’s response to the deadly virus.
The patient, a doctor who returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), tested positive after arriving in France on 23 June. The case was the first Ebola infection detected on French soil.
Announcing the recovery on Saturday, French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said the physician had left the medical facility and returned home.
“Today, the patient left the medical establishment,” Rist said in a statement.
Health authorities said the doctor experienced only mild symptoms, mainly headaches, despite testing positive for the virus.
Officials quickly launched contact tracing after the diagnosis. Five passengers who travelled on the same Air France flight were identified as possible close contacts and placed under precautionary isolation while being monitored.
Although France has previously treated Ebola patients evacuated from abroad during the 2014 West Africa outbreak, this is the first time the virus has been diagnosed within the country after a traveller arrived from an affected region.
The case comes as the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to battle a major Ebola outbreak. According to the latest figures released by Congolese authorities on 2 July, the outbreak, declared on 15 May, has infected 1,406 people and claimed at least 438 lives.
French health officials have maintained that the country’s surveillance and response measures remain in place, with monitoring continuing for anyone who may have been exposed.
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