Ebola confirmed in France: Officials report first case of eye-bleeding disease after doctor returning from Democratic Republic of Congo tests positive

France has confirmed its first Ebola case linked to the current outbreak – with a doctor testing positive for the deadly virus.

Health officials said the doctor had returned from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – which has been the epicentre of the current outbreak – before the positive test.

The patient, who is in mainland France, is now being isolated to prevent a spread, but officials maintain that the risk to the general European population is low.

The outbreak in the DRC was been declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organisation on May 17 but this marks the first recorded case in Europe.

Until now, the spread had been restricted to the DRC and neighbouring Uganda, with more than 1,000 cases and almost 300 deaths recorded.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.