In a statement, the minister said the patient, a doctor working in humanitarian aid, returned to France on 23rd June from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is experiencing a major Ebola outbreak. He was placed under close medical observation and did not develop severe symptoms, allowing him to be discharged from hospital and return home.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been battling a new Ebola outbreak since 15th May. According to the latest government figures, the disease has claimed 438 lives among 1,502 confirmed cases.