France confirms first Ebola case in current outbreak in doctor returned from Congo

PARIS, France — France's Health Ministry has confirmed the country's first Ebola case in the current outbreak, detected in a doctor who returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The ministry said the patient has been placed in isolation and that authorities have launched contact tracing. Officials emphasized that the public health risk across Europe remains low. The ministry said all necessary health measures have been put in place to prevent further spread of the virus. According to World Health Organization data, the Congo outbreak recorded its highest number of confirmed cases in a single month in recent weeks. The virus has killed 267 people in the country, with more than 1,000 confirmed infections. The case in France marks the first known instance of a health worker bringing the disease from the Congo outbreak back to a European country. No further details on the patient's condition were immediately available.