The French Health Ministry stressed that the risk to the population was “very low”. Similarly, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “The risk to the world is low” and “there is no need to panic.”
Efforts are underway to trace people who may have been in contact with the doctor.
Health care workers are particularly at risk from Ebola, which is transmitted through bodily fluids.
Last week, WHO said 17 of 75 health workers infected with Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo had died.
The current Ebola outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of virus and there is currently no vaccine.
France has established a “dedicated monitoring system” for aid workers returning from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Health Ministry said.
The current Ebola outbreak has the potential to be one of the largest on record, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and U.S. public health officials.
In DR Congo, cases are currently concentrated in East Ituri, South Kivu, and North Kivu provinces.
Ituri remains a major infection center, accounting for more than 90% of confirmed infections.
WHO warned that conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is making it more difficult to respond to the Ebola outbreak. The M23 rebel group controls most of North and South Kivu.
