Two possible Ebola cases in Brazil ruled out as patients test negative

The two patients had recently returned from the DR Congo and Uganda respectively. Ebola: Brazil rules out two cases as patients test negative 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. Two gloved hands hold vials of blood. Several vials in a rack can be seen in a blurred background. Two possible Ebola cases in Brazil ruled out as patients test negative Two suspected cases of Ebola in Brazil have been cleared after both patients tested negative for the virus, local health authorities have said. The individuals were monitored in Brazil's two biggest cities after returning from African countries, with both showing related symptoms. monitored in Brazil's two biggest cities after returning from African countries, with both showing related symptoms. São Paulo health authorities said in a statement that Ebola had been ruled out for a 37-year-old man who had travelled to the DR Congo, which is at the centre of the outbreak. He had already tested positive for meningitis. Another patient in Rio de Janeiro, who had recently travelled to Uganda, also tested negative for Ebola after testing positive for malaria. Local authorities said the man in São Paulo had "exhibited symptoms such as fever", while the man in Rio de Janeiro, from Belgium, had shown "viral symptoms such as cough, chills and diarrhoea". If the cases had been positive, they would have been 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. Cases are concentrated in the country's Ituri, North and South Kivu provinces. 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. Three new vaccines are being developed to tackle the Bundibugyo strain, including by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the University of Oxford and the pharma company Moderna. to tackle the Bundibugyo strain, including by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the University of Oxford and the pharma company Moderna. Ebola viruses normally infect animals, typically fruit bats, but outbreaks among humans can sometimes start when people eat or handle infected animals. It spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including sweat, saliva, blood, semen, excrement, urine and vomit. Makati Tagirabo,34, and Baraka Bulambula 29, Congolese health workers who recovered from the Ebola virus hold their certificates of discharge at the Evangelical Medical Center (CEM), as agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain, in Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 31, 2026. REUTERS/Gradel Muyisa Mumbere Five patients recover from Ebola in DR Congo and leave hospital A wooden coffin is on the left side of the image, with polished surfaces and gold-colored handles. In the foreground, a person is crouching on a dirt ground while wearing full-body protective equipment, including a white suit, a face covering, and green rubber gloves. The person’s hands are held up against the face covering, partially obscuring the face. Behind the person is a simple structure with a doorway, and the walls appear to be made of mud or brick with various wooden supports. The environment looks outdoors or semi-sheltered. Three Ebola vaccines in development amid growing outbreak fears Lille appoint Davide Ancelotti as their new coach as he prepares to serve as an assistant to his father, Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti, at this summer's World Cup. Carlo Ancelotti had to win over the Brazilian public and restore calm to chaos as he bids to return the country to World Cup glory. If confirmed, they would be the first infection cases outside Africa, since the outbreak began in DR Congo. There are currently no approved drugs that target Bundibugyo - the species of Ebola responsible for this outbreak. IAVI, Moderna and the University of Oxford are all working on new vaccines. Those infected can get better and officials stress that people should seek medical help if they have symptoms. 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.