France has specialized capabilities for managing highly transmissible infectious diseases. Patients are treated in a designated healthcare facility, following strict biosafety protocols (negative pressure room, dedicated equipment and protocols). Health authorities are fully mobilized and the situation is being continuously monitored.
All precautionary measures, including the patient's isolation, were taken upon his arrival in the country, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination.
A thorough epidemiological investigation is underway to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient.
These individuals will be contacted without delay by the regional health agency, will undergo 21 days of home isolation, and will be closely monitored during this period.
Following the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) on May 17 in response to the active circulation of the Ebola virus in Ituri Province, DRC, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has assessed the risk of infection as low for European residents and travelers to areas of active transmission, and very low for the general European population.
A dedicated monitoring system is in place for the return of French aid workers to the national territory.
What is the Ebola virus?
Ebola virus disease is a serious and often fatal illness. The virus is transmitted to humans from wild animals and then from person to person through direct contact with:
° Bodily fluids (blood, saliva, urine, semen, breast milk, sweat, feces and vomit from infected persons, whether alive or not);
° The bodies of people who died from Ebola virus disease;
° Objects that have been contaminated by the bodily fluids of infected patients (e.g., needles);
° Bushmeat from wild animals.
The disease is characterized by high fevers and often fatal hemorrhages.
The incubation period, that is, the time between contact with the virus and the appearance of the first symptoms, varies from 2 to 21 days.
As long as they do not show symptoms, infected individuals are not contagious.
Currently, there is no specific treatment for Ebola {Bundibugyo virus} disease; treatment focuses on managing the symptoms, particularly through rehydration.
What are the health recommendations?
Given the absence of the virus circulating on French territory, the precautionary health recommendations apply mainly to the French territories bordering the Indian Ocean, and to travelers going to or returning to the DRC in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu and Uganda.
{1} For French nationals currently in the country, it is recommended to avoid areas experiencing outbreaks of the epidemic and, if this is impossible, to:
° Respect basic hygiene rules, including regular hand washing;
° Avoid close contact with people who have a fever. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids;
° Avoid all contact with wild animals, alive or dead;
° Do not consume or handle bushmeat.
{2} For travelers going to areas where the virus is circulating, it is recommended that those who can postpone their trip, especially the most vulnerable (elderly people, people with disabilities, pregnant women, or those with comorbidities). If the trip must proceed, it is recommended to follow the aforementioned health guidelines and to:
° Regularly consult the information from the embassy or the "Travel Advice" section of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs;
° Register for free on the Ariane Thread , in order to receive in real time all information and alerts from the French authorities;
{3} For travelers returning to France from an area with active virus transmission, the following is required:
° Monitor your temperature every day for 21 days;
° If you develop a fever of 38°C or higher, and up to 21 days after returning to France, contact 15 immediately and await instructions. Do not go to your doctor or the hospital emergency room.
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