Brazil monitors two patients for possible Ebola infection

If confirmed, they would be the first infection cases outside Africa, since the outbreak began in DR Congo. Ebola: Brazil monitors two patients for possible infection Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. A masked scientist wearing a blue plastic glove holds a pipette full of red liquid under a microscope. Brazil monitors two patients for possible Ebola infection Health authorities in Brazil are monitoring two patients for possible Ebola infection in the country's two biggest cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. A man, 37, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) "exhibited symptoms such as fever", São Paulo's state government said. In Rio state, the health department said it had activated safety protocols after a Belgian man who arrived from Uganda showed "viral symptoms such as cough, chills and diarrhoea". The test results for both patients should become available next week. If confirmed, they would be the first infection cases outside Africa since the outbreak began in DR Congo. There are now more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases in DR Congo, with at least 246 deaths. Uganda has reported nine confirmed cases and one death. The current outbreak has been caused by a rare strain of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, which has no proven vaccine and kills about a third of those infected. While the two patients in Brazil are still being monitored for Ebola, they have already both been diagnosed with other conditions: in São Paulo, the man from DR Congo tested positive for meningitis and is in a serious condition, while in Rio, the Belgian patient tested positive for malaria. The respective diagnoses do not rule out the possibility of also having Ebola, officials say. Ebola viruses normally infect animals, typically fruit bats, but outbreaks among humans can sometimes start when people eat or handle infected animals. Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including sweat, saliva, blood, semen, excrement, urine and vomit. On Saturday the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that the rapid spread of the virus had caused an "alarming situation", with an unprecedented number of cases recorded so soon into the outbreak. On Saturday the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that the rapid spread of the virus had caused an "alarming situation" , with an unprecedented number of cases recorded so soon into the outbreak. WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is continuing a visit to DR Congo's Ituri province, the worst-hit area, where he is overseeing containment efforts. Despite the possible cases of the virus outside Africa, the WHO has stressed repeatedly that its global spread is highly unlikely. A displaced woman wears a mask as she sits outside her shelter in Bunia, the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: 28 May 2026 Ebola spread in DR Congo 'deeply alarming', MSF warns A medic checks the temperature of a woman, using a contactless infrared thermometer. Only the arm of the medic, who is wearing white, is shown. The woman having her temperature checked has her hair in braids. She is wearing a bright blue top with a pattern and is standing next to a blue wooden door with a white and blue building in the background. What is Ebola and why is stopping the latest outbreak so difficult? A health worker in blue scrubs and protective gear carries out temperature screening for travellers at the Kanyaruchinya checkpoint near Goma - 25 May 2026 Ebola-hit DR Congo faces 'catastrophic collision' of disease and conflict, WHO warns Archie McLean moved to Brazil in the early 20th Century, where he became involved in the game during its early years. Brazil forward Neymar is set to be out for "two to three weeks" and means he will miss friendly matches against Panama and Egypt. Brazil legend Thiago Silva singles out John McGinn as the threat for his country's World Cup hopefuls. The medical charity's comments come as the head of the World Health Organization visits the region worst-hit by the virus outbreak. A 50-bed isolation unit in Kenya for US citizens was due to open on Friday, a US official said. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said fighting in DR Congo was hampering efforts to stop spread An outbreak of Ebola in DR Congo involves a rare species of the virus and is in an area affected by conflict. The governor of Ituri said the more time they lose, the closer the province is to disaster.