Health Minister Stéphanie Rist has announced that France’s first diagnosed Ebola case has recovered. The patient has been discharged from hospital.
A doctor who had tested positive for Ebola in the first such case on French territory has recovered and left the hospital, France's health minister said on Saturday.
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The humanitariandoctor tested positive after flying to France on 23 June from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is fighting a major outbreak of the deadly disease.
According to Health Minister Stéphanie Rist, "after two negative PCR tests, the patient is now recovered and has been able to return home safely".
The doctor flew to France on an Air France flight and except for headaches was "almost asymptomatic."
Five other passengers on the flight had been identified as possible contacts and put in isolation as a precaution.
Stéphanie Rist explained that the patient received medical care and strict monitoring, in full compliance with health protocols.
The Ebola virus can cause haemorrhagic fevers that are very often fatal.
The virus is not highly contagious. The outbreak has nevertheless claimed at least 452 lives in the DRC, according to the latest figures as of 3 July. The virus continues to spread and a case was recently confirmed in Kisangani, a major city located 600 km from the epicentre of the crisis.
