Two men, one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the other from Uganda, have been placed in isolation in Brazil after showing symptoms compatible with Ebola, although authorities ruled out the presence of the virus in one of them. Brazil has intensified precautionary measures due to the spread of the deadly virus in both countries.
The Brazilian Ministry of Health stated on Sunday (30) that there was no confirmation of Ebola in either of the two patients, whose nationalities were not disclosed. In Rio de Janeiro, the state Health Department announced on Saturday the isolation of a man who arrived in Brazil from Uganda on May 22, “presenting viral symptoms such as cough, chills, and diarrhea.”
The man tested positive for malaria and examinations showed “negative results for Ebola,” the Ministry of Health said on Sunday. However, authorities stated that the patient “remains in isolation” while the investigation is completed.
Also on Sunday, health authorities in the state of São Paulo announced they are investigating a suspected Ebola case in a man who recently traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In a statement, the regional Health Department said the man showed symptoms such as fever and was “placed in isolation” at the Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases in São Paulo.
The man tested positive for a severe form of meningitis, but “the Ebola investigation continues until specific tests are completed,” said Regiane de Paula, from the Regional Disease Control Coordination, according to a statement released on Sunday.
Authorities considered the risk of Ebola entering Brazil as “very low,” due to the absence of local transmission and the lack of direct flights between the South American country and the affected African region. However, they recommended that health services monitor people with fever and a recent travel history to the DRC, as well as their close contacts.
“Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years”
The current outbreak in Congo is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which has a fatality rate between 30% and 50% and for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment.
In the country, 246 deaths and more than 1,000 suspected cases have been recorded, according to a recent report by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the African Union’s health agency.
Ebola has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years. The deadliest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo resulted in nearly 2,300 deaths among 3,500 recorded cases between 2018 and 2020.
The virus that causes Ebola, a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever, has been detected in three Congolese provinces, as well as in neighboring Uganda, where two new cases were confirmed on Friday, bringing the total number to nine.
Source: Lusa
