https://www.cbsnews.com/news/5-ebola-patients-recovered-who-chief-treatment-center-opens-eastern-congo/Brazil identifies 2 possible Ebola patients, as WHO reports some recoveries in CongoMay 31, 2026
CBS News Staff & AFP
Brazilian health authorities are monitoring two patients for possible Ebola infection in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, officials said, sparking further concern of the deadly virus outbreak in central Africa spreading abroad.
A 37-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the outbreak has been concentrated, "exhibited symptoms such as fever, meeting the definition of a suspected case" of Ebola, the Sao Paulo state government said in a statement on Saturday.
While initial tests did not detect the Ebola virus in the patient, he is being monitored and isolated as a precautionary measure at a specialized infectious disease facility, the statement said.
The health department in Rio de Janeiro state meanwhile reported that it had activated safety protocols after a man from Uganda showed "viral symptoms such as cough, chills, and diarrhea."
The Rio city government said in an email to AFP that the patient tested positive for malaria Saturday evening and "the case remains under investigation."
The Sao Paulo government said that despite the suspected case, "the technical assessment indicates that the risk of the disease being introduced into Brazil and South America remains very low."
Some Ebola recoveries reported
The reports from Brazil came the same day that World Health Organization chief Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported five patients in Africa had recovered from the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain fueling the current outbreak. Bundibugyo has no approved treatment or vaccine.
Tedros said these five cases exemplify that recovery from the illness is still possible. The WHO had said Friday that one patient recovered from the Bundibugyo virus, marking the first documented recovery of a person with a confirmed case since this outbreak began.
"Four people will be discharged today and there was one that was discharged the day before yesterday," Tedros said during the opening of a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri in eastern Congo, which is at the center of the current outbreak.
"Of course, we're still working on vaccines and treatments but that doesn't mean that people cannot recover from Ebola," he added.
At least 906 suspected cases of the virus and 223 deaths, among the suspected cases, have been reported in Congo, according to the WHO. There 134 confirmed cases and 18 deaths among the confirmed cases in Congo and neighboring Uganda, the health agency said. Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan Health Ministry said Friday.
More at URL above...Poster's comment:
Looks like it may have "jumped the Atlantic"...
How long before it starts heading north...?
