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Rare Ebola strain confirmed in France as doctor diagnosed with potentially deadly virus

The NHS lists symptoms to watch for including sickness, diarrhoea, stomach pain and headaches

[Healthcare workers carry on a stretcher a patient suffering from the Ebola virus disease from an ambulance at the Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in Bunia, Ituri, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 23, 2026. (Photo by Benediction MURHABAZI / AFP via Getty Images)]

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There has been an outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo(Image: Getty)

A case of the deadly Ebola virus has been detected in Europe, it has been confirmed on Wednesday. The virus has been circulating across part of Africa with more than 260 deaths.

Now France has confirmed it has discovered its first case of Ebola in the country. The patient is a doctor who has returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to the BBC the doctor was "immediately admitted to a specialised facility" and is in a stable condition, the French health ministry said today. DR Congo announced an Ebola outbreak last month, but experts believe the virus had been circulating for weeks previously.

More than 260 people are confirmed to have died from the virus in the central African country, while 1,000 people have been infected. Experts have said the outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which at present there is no vaccine or treatment.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this is the largest outbreak of the strain ever recorded. In May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

According to the NHS Ebola virus disease is a serious, rare infection usually found in certain parts of Africa. It says: "It's caught by coming into contact with the body fluids of an infected person or wild animal.

"Ebola is caused by a virus caught from wild animals. It spreads from person to person when you touch infected body fluids, such as semen, saliva, blood, poo, pee and vomit.

"There have been outbreaks of the virus in Central and West Africa and continues to be a health risk in that region. It's never been spread from person to person in the UK."

Symptoms of Ebola

The NHS says: "Ebola symptoms can start between 2 and 21 days after being infected. They can appear suddenly and include flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, extreme tiredness and a headache."

Other symptoms include:

• being sick
• diarrhoea and tummy pain
• a skin rash
• yellowing of the skin and eyes
• blood in your poo
• lots of bruises all over your body
• bleeding from your ears, eyes, nose or mouth
• muscle pain
• sore throat
• blood in vomit or poo
• bleeding from nose, gums or vagina

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