Brazilian health officials are closely monitoring two patients in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro for possible Ebola infection, marking the first potential cases outside of Africa since the outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A 37-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is being watched in São Paulo after exhibiting symptoms such as fever, while a Belgian man who arrived from Uganda is under observation in Rio state with viral symptoms like cough, chills, and diarrhea.
Ebola Outbreak
The current outbreak, caused by a rare strain of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, has claimed at least 246 lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with over 1,000 suspected cases reported, and nine confirmed cases in Uganda, resulting in one death.
While the two patients in Brazil have already been diagnosed with other conditions – meningitis and malaria – these diagnoses do not rule out the possibility of also having Ebola, according to health officials.
Ebola spreads through direct contact with an infected person’s bodily fluids, including sweat, saliva, blood, and vomit, and normally infects animals, such as fruit bats, before potentially spreading to humans.
Global Response
The World Health Organization (WHO) has stressed that the global spread of the virus is highly unlikely, despite the potential cases in Brazil, and WHO head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is overseeing containment efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Ituri province.
The medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned of an “alarming situation” due to the rapid spread of the virus, with an unprecedented number of cases recorded so soon into the outbreak, highlighting the need for continued vigilance and cooperation to combat the disease.
