Brazilian health authorities are closely monitoring two patients exhibiting symptoms consistent with the Ebola virus. The cases have been reported in the country's two largest cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as the outbreak continues to spread in Central Africa.
In São Paulo, a 37-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of Congo was placed under observation after developing a fever. In the state of Rio de Janeiro, authorities activated security protocols after the arrival of a Belgian national from Uganda who was suffering from symptoms including a cough, chills, and diarrhea.
The results of the tests are expected in the coming days. If the infections are confirmed, these would be the first cases recorded outside the African continent since the start of the current epidemic.
Both patients have already received other medical diagnoses. The man hospitalized in São Paulo tested positive for meningitis and is in serious condition. The patient being treated in Rio de Janeiro was diagnosed with malaria. Authorities nevertheless specify that these illnesses do not rule out a possible co-infection with the Ebola virus.
The current outbreak in the DRC is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, a rare variant of the virus against which no approved vaccine is currently available. According to the latest health data, more than 1,000 suspected cases and at least 246 deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Uganda has also reported several confirmed cases.
Faced with the rapidly evolving situation, Doctors Without Borders recently warned of a particularly worrying level of spread. The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is currently on a mission in the Congolese province of Ituri, one of the areas most affected by the epidemic.
Despite these two suspected cases in Brazil, the WHO continues to believe that a global spread of the virus remains unlikely, while calling for continued high vigilance and strengthened health controls.
