Brazil isolates two travellers amid Congo Ebola surge
One patient tests negative for the virus while the other undergoes further screening for meningitis and Ebola, though officials maintain the risk to South America remains low.
Brazilian health authorities have isolated two patients who arrived from African nations after exhibiting symptoms consistent with Ebola, coinciding with a worsening outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The isolations were confirmed on Friday, as the DRC case count surpassed 1,000 suspected infections and nearly 250 deaths since the outbreak was declared on 15 May.
A 37-year-old man who had recently travelled to the DRC was placed in isolation at the Emilio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases in Sao Paulo. According to the Sao Paulo state government, the patient presented with fever and other symptoms meeting the definition of a suspected Ebola case. He has been diagnosed with a severe form of meningitis, and additional tests are being conducted to screen for the Ebola virus.
In Rio de Janeiro, a second patient was isolated after arriving from Uganda on 22 May. Local officials reported that the man presented with viral symptoms including cough, chills, and diarrhoea. While Rio City Hall confirmed the patient tested positive for malaria, the case remains under investigation.
On Sunday, Brazil’s Ministry of Health stated that the second patient’s tests showed negative results for Ebola. However, he remains in isolation until the full investigation is completed. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported the DRC figures on Thursday, noting that several infections and one death have also been confirmed in neighbouring Uganda.
The World Health Organization has warned that the true reach of the outbreak in the DRC is likely much wider than currently reported, given that the virus is thought to have been circulating before its detection. Despite the suspected cases in Brazil, the Sao Paulo government stated that technical assessments indicate the risk of the disease being introduced into Brazil and South America remains very low.
