French health authorities have confirmed the country's first Ebola case during the current outbreak, after a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo tested positive for the virus.

In a statement Wednesday, the French Health Ministry said the healthcare worker had been operating in an area where the virus was circulating. The patient is being treated at a leading facility under strict biosafety protocols.

All precautionary measures, including isolation, were implemented upon arrival in France, with secure transfer to the hospital to prevent contamination risks. An epidemiological investigation is underway to trace contacts, who will be asked to self-isolate for 21 days.

Since May, northeastern Ituri province in the DRC has been the epicenter of an Ebola outbreak that has killed over 260 people and infected more than 1,000. Cases have also been reported in neighboring Uganda.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on May 17. Unlike previous outbreaks caused by the Zaire strain, this one is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no approved vaccines or treatments exist.

Source: www.aljazeera.com