Brazilian health officials said on Saturday they were monitoring two suspected Ebola infections, both travelers who recently arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the epicenter of the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak.
Another possible infection was reported in Italy on Sunday.
One of the travelers came to Sao Paulo, Brazil, from the DRC while complaining of a fever. The other arrived in Rio de Janeiro from Uganda. The vast majority of the over 1,000 suspected Ebola infections in the current outbreak have occurred in the DRC, but nine confirmed cases have been reported in Uganda.
Brazilian officials said the traveler from the DRC has tested positive for meningitis, while the traveler from Uganda tested positive for malaria. The patient from Uganda tested negative for Ebola on Sunday, while the one from the DRC is still considered a potential Ebola case.
Both patients were still under quarantine on Monday. The patient from the DRC is undergoing isolation at a hospital that specializes in Ebola treatment.
“The technical assessment indicates that the risk of the disease being introduced into Brazil and South America remains very low,” the government of Sao Paulo said.
On Saturday, Ebola protocols were activated in Caligari, Sardinia, for a person who returned from a trip to the Congo with Ebola symptoms.
The patient was picked up at their home by medical personnel wearing hazmat suits, while fire and police officers cordoned off the scene. The Italian Health Ministry later said the patient was undergoing “isolation in a hospital facility,” and would be tested for Ebola by the Spallanzani Institute in Rome.
The Spallanzani Institute performed the tests on Sunday and determined the patient was not carrying Ebola.
“It is confirmed – it is emphasized – that the risk in Italy remains very low,” the Italian Health Ministry said when announcing the negative test result.
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