France confirms first Ebola case in returning doctor

France has confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after a doctor returned from a humanitarian mission and tested positive for the virus, French health authorities said Wednesday.

The doctor was working in an area where Ebola was circulating and was “immediately admitted to a specialised facility,” the French Health Ministry said. The patient is in stable condition, according to the BBC.

“The patient is being treated at a leading healthcare facility, following strict biosafety protocols,” the ministry said, according to Al Jazeera. “All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were implemented upon arrival in France, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination.”

The ministry said the risk to the French population is “very low.” Authorities have begun tracing people who may have had contact with the doctor. Al Jazeera reported that those identified will be contacted by health officials and asked to self-isolate for 21 days.

The case is the first confirmed in France during the current outbreak. The BBC reported it is also the first Ebola case confirmed in Europe, though an American doctor who tested positive in DR Congo was treated at a German hospital last month.

DR Congo announced the outbreak last month, but experts believe the virus had been circulating for weeks before then, the BBC reported. Al Jazeera reported that since May, the northeastern province of Ituri has been the epicentre of the outbreak.

More than 260 people have died and more than 1,000 have been infected in DR Congo. Cases are concentrated in the eastern provinces of Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu, with Ituri accounting for more than 90% of confirmed infections, according to the BBC.

Uganda, which borders DR Congo, has also confirmed Ebola cases. The World Health Organization says 20 people are known to have been infected there and two deaths have been confirmed.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of the virus. The BBC reported there is currently no vaccine for that species; Al Jazeera reported there are no approved vaccines or treatments. Most previous Ebola outbreaks in DR Congo were caused by Ebola Zaire, Al Jazeera reported.

Healthcare workers are especially vulnerable because Ebola spreads through bodily fluids. France has set up a “dedicated monitoring system” for aid workers returning from DR Congo, the French Health Ministry said.

The WHO declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” on May 17, according to Al Jazeera. The BBC reported that Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. public health authorities have said the current outbreak has the potential to become one of the largest ever.

The response has been complicated by insecurity in eastern DR Congo. The WHO has warned that conflict is making it harder to tackle the outbreak, and the M23 rebel group controls large parts of North Kivu and South Kivu, the BBC reported.