Brazilian health authorities are monitoring two patients for possible Ebola infection after separate cases emerged in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, prompting officials to activate precautionary health measures while awaiting laboratory results.
The patients, both of whom recently arrived from countries affected by the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa, are being treated under strict monitoring protocols as health officials work to determine whether they contracted the virus.
In São Paulo, a 37-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo sought medical attention after developing symptoms including fever. The São Paulo state government said the patient had been isolated and was undergoing further testing.
In Rio de Janeiro, health authorities activated emergency response measures after a Belgian traveller arriving from Uganda reported symptoms consistent with a viral illness, including cough, chills and diarrhoea.
Results from specialised laboratory tests are expected next week.
While concerns have grown over the possibility of Ebola reaching South America, health officials cautioned that neither case has been confirmed.
Both patients have already received alternative diagnoses. The man in São Paulo tested positive for meningitis and remains in serious condition, while the patient in Rio was diagnosed with malaria.
Officials stressed, however, that the diagnoses do not completely rule out the possibility of a simultaneous Ebola infection.
If either case is confirmed, it would mark the first known Ebola infection detected outside Africa since the current outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The outbreak has intensified in recent weeks. More than 1,000 suspected cases have been reported in DR Congo, with at least 246 deaths recorded. Neighbouring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death.
Health experts say the outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a less common variant of the virus for which there is currently no proven vaccine. Previous outbreaks linked to this strain have shown a lower fatality rate than some other Ebola variants, though it remains a serious public health threat.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids from an infected person. Symptoms often begin with fever, fatigue and muscle pain before progressing to more severe illness in some patients.
Over the weekend, the international medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières warned that the outbreak was spreading at an unusually rapid pace.
“The situation is alarming,” the organisation said, noting that the number of infections recorded at this stage of the outbreak is higher than typically seen.
Meanwhile, World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus continued his visit to Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo, where health teams are working to strengthen surveillance, treatment and community awareness efforts.
Despite the suspected cases in Brazil, the World Health Organization has repeatedly said the risk of wider international spread remains low. The agency has urged countries to remain vigilant while avoiding unnecessary alarm.
Brazilian authorities say they are prepared to respond should either case be confirmed, while public health officials continue to emphasise that precaution, early detection and swift containment remain the most effective tools against the virus.
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