France reports first case of Ebola

It comes after a doctor returned to France from central Africa

The Ebola outbreak in Africa has been going on now for a number of weeks.

Reports of a spread of Ebola began in mid-May 2026 with health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo officially declaring on 15 May.

Only a matter of days later, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the situation was severe and declared it as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

This has led to a sizeable response to the outbreak in central Africa.

The outbreak has infected more than ⁠1,000 people and killed ​267 and has seen the most severe first month of any Ebola outbreak before, the WHO said.

Now, the French health ministry has said that a case has been reported in the country.

It said that a doctor who had returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) tested positive for Ebola.

They were on a humanitarian mission in the country.

The patient is being ​isolated and ⁠authorities are contact tracing, ⁠the ministry said, adding that the risk for the general ‌European population was low.

Symptoms of Ebola

As per the NHS, these are the symptoms of Ebola:

Ebola symptoms can start between 2 and 21 days after being infected.

They can appear suddenly and include flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, extreme tiredness and a headache.

Other symptoms include:

• being sick
• diarrhoea and tummy pain
• a skin rash
• yellowing of the skin and eyes
• blood in your poo
• lots of bruises all over your body
• bleeding from your ears, eyes, nose or mouth
• muscle pain
• sore throat
• blood in vomit or poo
• bleeding from nose, gums or vagina