According to the French official, the doctor, infected during a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was declared cured after two PCR tests with negative results.

The patient arrived in France on June 23, presenting only headaches and being almost asymptomatic. After confirming the diagnosis, he was admitted to a specialized medical unit and monitored in accordance with health protocols. The French authorities have identified five passengers of the flight as potential contacts, who have been placed in isolation as a precautionary measure.

The Ebola virus triggers severe reactions and can lead to hemorrhagic fever and multiple organ failure in serious cases. According to the latest data, the epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which broke out in May, has so far resulted in 438 deaths and over 1,400 infections. Since there is no standard treatment for the detected strain, called Bundibugyo, specialists are now conducting clinical studies based on three experimental vaccines.

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The French Ministry of Health specifies that the doctor, who was active in an international medical NGO, was urgently taken to a specialized medical unit. He left from the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, being almost asymptomatic, with slight headaches, but his condition slightly worsened during the flight to France.

According to the cited source, immediately after landing in Paris, the patient was transferred under maximum safety conditions, to prevent any risk of contamination. Health authorities emphasize that the doctor has a “very low” viral load, which reduces the risk of transmission, however, the people he came into contact with are being identified to be placed in preventive isolation for 21 days.

According to the World Health Organization data, the Bundibugyo strain, which is circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has also spread to Uganda, has recorded over a thousand confirmed cases and approximately 270 deaths.

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WHO technical expert on haemorrhagic fevers Anaïs Legand said the patient is the first person admitted to a treatment centre to have been discharged after obtaining two consecutive negative tests. According to her, the recovery shows that the chances of survival increase considerably when patients receive prompt medical care.

WHO announced that since the outbreak began, 125 confirmed cases and more than 900 suspected cases have been recorded. At the same time, health authorities have reported 17 confirmed deaths and another 223 deaths suspected of being linked to the disease.

Specialists say the current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which there is currently no specific vaccine or treatment. According to WHO, this variant can have a mortality rate of up to 50%, but in the current outbreak the estimated rate is around 25%.

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The Trump administration has implemented a zero-tolerance policy toward Ebola to ensure that no cases are allowed into the United States. U.S. citizens returning from affected regions—Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan—are redirected to four specific airports for health screening, but those who have been exposed to the virus will be sent to a quarantine center in Kenya to receive care. These airports are Atlanta, Houston, Washington-Dulles, and John F. Kennedy in New York.

In Kenya, the announcement was met with skepticism. Although the Ministry of Health in Nairobi confirmed that discussions regarding international cooperation were underway, it emphasized that any agreement must comply with national laws and protect Kenyan citizens.

An American citizen infected with the deadly virus is currently being treated at a hospital in Germany, while another who is suspected of being infected has been sent to a hospital in the Czech Republic. Meanwhile, in Europe, two Italian aid workers have been placed in isolation at a hospital in Milan, suspected of having contracted the virus after a three-month mission in Uganda, according to Dailymail.

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According to local authorities, the health system is under strong pressure, and the affected regions are facing not only the spread of the virus, but also food shortages, overcrowding and insecurity. The World Health Organization warns that the virus could spread faster than initially estimated. The WHO’s Director-General recently stated that authorities and medical teams are unable to keep up with the rapid spread rate, a sign that current measures are insufficient.

In the meantime, cases of Ebola have been reported in other provinces of the country, as well as in the neighboring state of Uganda. Local officials urgently request the deployment of qualified personnel and the strengthening of treatment centers.

Ebola is caused by the hemorrhagic fever virus, which has several variants. There is treatment and vaccine for the Zair strain of the virus, but not for the Bundibugyo variant, which triggered the current epidemic and has a mortality rate of 50%. Hemorrhagic fever has symptoms similar to the flu, but in the final stages it can cause multiple organ failure, internal and external bleeding.

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Due to strict biosecurity measures, authorities have blocked relatives’ access, and altercations have escalated. As a result of the attack, two tents and a corpse were set on fire. Also, a medical staff member was injured, and law enforcement had to fire warning shots. In the ensuing chaos, six patients fled the hospital, but were quickly recovered.

Because corpses are extremely contagious, the World Health Organization has instituted strict rules for funerals, with the aim of preventing the spread of the virus. The medical staff at the field hospital has been placed under military protection following the violence.

In the meantime, the death toll of the epidemic has exceeded 170, and the absence of a vaccine for the current strain of the virus exacerbates the crisis.

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Virologists are already working on two possible vaccines, but it will take some time until the commencement of clinical trials. The WHO Director, Tedros Ghebreysus, stated that the official pandemic toll could be much higher, as the tests for detecting the virus are time-consuming. The most severe situation is recorded in Congo, where the highest number of deaths have occurred. Some of the deceased are medical staff, which raises concerns about the adherence to health regulations.

Doctors from Congo say that some hospitals are overwhelmed by the situation and that, although batches of protective equipment have begun to arrive in the country, there are no stocks of masks, gloves or coveralls in rural areas. Representatives of the Doctors Without Borders organization have stated that some hospitals are full of suspected cases and that they no longer have available spots.

The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, but said it was not a pandemic. The organization’s director-general stressed that the risk of the outbreak spreading nationally and regionally was high, but that global spread was unlikely.

The virus that causes Ebola or hemorrhagic fever is transmitted through direct contact and body fluids and has a mortality rate of over 50%. Although there is a vaccine for 2 variants of the virus, for the strain recently detected in Congo there is currently neither treatment nor vaccine.

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At least six other Americans, including the doctor’s wife, have been exposed to the virus and are under monitoring or quarantine protocols. According to the World Health Organization, laboratory analyses have identified a rare strain of the virus, Bundibugyo, for which there is no vaccine or treatment. So far, three strains of the virus have been detected and there is a vaccine only for one of them, Zaire.

The authorities in Congo have reported that the virus has spread to new areas, including the city of Goma. In response, the neighboring country, Rwanda, has tightened border controls, while the USA has issued the most severe travel alert for Congo and imposed entry restrictions for travelers who have visited the affected areas in the last 21 days.

WHO estimates that the outbreak is much more widespread than reported. Since the discovery of the virus in 1976, in Africa, local outbreaks frequently occur. The most severe was the epidemic from 2014-2016, which caused over 11,000 deaths and 28,000 infections, with deaths recorded in the USA, the UK and Italy. The Ebola virus, which causes hemorrhagic fever, is transmitted through direct contact with sick animals or people or through contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, body aches and vomiting. In the final stage, internal organs collapse and patients have internal and external bleeding. The disease has a mortality rate of 30%.

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This is the 17th Ebola epidemic identified in Congo from 1976 to the present, the current outbreak being considered atypical and dangerous. Most of the previous epidemics were caused by the Zaire strain, for which there are medical treatments, but for the current Bundibugyo strain there are no drugs.

Until Saturday, 246 suspected cases and 8 confirmed cases out of 13 samples tested in the laboratory were reported in the Ituri province of Congo. WHO warns that the actual number of victims could be much higher, considering the high positivity rate of the initial samples. Furthermore, the virus has been confirmed in two cases, including one death in the capital of Uganda, Kampala, in people who came from Congo.

The WHO recommends neighboring countries to activate emergency mechanisms and monitor borders, avoiding total closure in order to prevent illegal crossings. Control measures focus on the immediate isolation of the sick, daily monitoring of contacts for 21 days and banning international travel for exposed individuals, with the exception of official medical evacuations.

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“We will honor these commitments. They will respect the agreement and will create a much brighter future for the people of their countries”, Donald Trump declared at the peace agreement signing event.

The US presidential administration has mediated negotiations between Congo and Rwanda, hoping that resolving the differences of the two African neighbors will pave the way for Americans to increase their investments in the resource-rich region. The US State Department estimated in 2023 the value of mineral reserves at 25 trillion dollars.

According to international media reports, on the eve of the Washington summit, fighting escalated in Congo between government forces and rebels believed to be backed by Rwanda. The Congolese army accused its rivals of attempting to “sabotage” the peace process, while the latter claimed that Congolese forces had launched an offensive in violation of the ceasefire.

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