First Ebola case outside Africa in 2026 outbreak confirmed in France
France confirmed the first Ebola case outside Africa in the current 2026 outbreak on June 24, in a health worker who flew from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Paris. The outbreak, driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain with no vaccine or specific treatment, has topped 1,100 con
For the first time in the 2026 outbreak, Ebola has reached outside Africa. France confirmed a case on June 24 in a health worker who had flown from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Paris on a commercial flight; an earlier case in May involved an American citizen evacuated to Germany. The outbreak is centered in eastern Congo, where the health ministry reports more than 1,100 confirmed cases, making it the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record. Ituri province is hardest hit, with cases also in North Kivu, South Kivu and Uganda. The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or specific treatment. The WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern in May and warns the response is colliding with armed conflict and hunger.