1 in 2 suspected Ebola patients in Brazil test positive, WHO reports recovery in Congo

One of two patients monitored by Brazilian health authorities for possible Ebola infection in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro has been tested negative, officials said on Sunday. The possible infection has raised concerns over an outbreak of the deadly virus in central Africa spreading.

A 37-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the disease broke out, “showed flu-like symptoms, meeting the definition of a suspected case” of Ebola, the Sao Paulo state government said in a statement on Saturday.

Although initial tests did not detect the Ebola virus in the patient, he is being monitored closely and is being quarantined as a precaution at a special infectious disease center, the statement said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health in the state of Rio de Janeiro reported that it implemented security measures after a Ugandan man showed “symptoms of the virus such as cough, cold and diarrhea.”

The Rio city government said in an email to AFP that the patient had been tested for malaria on Saturday evening and “the case is still under investigation.”

Brazil’s Health Minister said Sunday that the man’s tests showed “negative results for Ebola,” but he will remain in isolation until the investigation is completed, AFP reported.

The government of Sao Paulo said that despite the suspected case, “technical tests show that the risk of importing the disease into Brazil and South America remains very low.”

Another Ebola recovery is reported

The reports from Brazil came on the same day that the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported that five patients in Africa had recovered from the Bundibugyo virus, the rare strain fueling the current outbreak. Bundibugyo is not authorized treatment or vaccine.

Tedros said that these five cases are an example that recovery from illness is still possible. The WHO said on Friday that one patient has recovered from the Bundibugyo virus, marking the first confirmed case since the outbreak began.

“Four people will be released today and one was released yesterday,” Tedros said at the opening of a new Ebola treatment center in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province in eastern Congo, which is the epicenter of the outbreak.

“Yes, we are still working on vaccines and treatments but that does not mean that people will not be able to recover from Ebola,” he added.

At least 906 suspected cases of the virus and 223 deaths, among those suspected, have been reported in Congo, according to the WHO. There are 134 confirmed cases and 18 deaths among the confirmed cases in Congo and neighboring Ugandasaid the health workers. Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan Ministry of Health said on Friday.

Asking for more help and testing

The virus continues to spread faster than the response despite better organized health facilities and new aid arriving, Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, said on Saturday, calling for a rapid increase in testing, rapid deployment of aid workers and continued access to medical supplies.

Accidents faced by health workers anger has been raised among residents due to the strict medical regulations for handling the bodies of the dead, which conflict with local burial regulations. Citizens have started at least three attacks against health institutions.

Tedros stressed the importance of involving the public in the response to the disease during the opening of a new treatment center on Sunday.

“If you come to health centers with symptoms, you can get support and recover, so the important thing is to show up early and get the necessary support,” said the WHO official.

“We can stop Ebola and anyone who has it can recover. But the law … is that this thing is everyone’s business and every citizen must participate,” he added.

Attacks in Ituri by the Allied Democratic Forces, a rebel group affiliated with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias also hampered the response.

The disease has also been reported in Congo, North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, south of Ituri, where the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 controls several key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels reported two cases.

“The last message we would like to share with the Ituri community is that there is hope,” said Pierre Akilimali, Incident Manager at the Congo National Institute of Public Health, during the inauguration ceremony on Sunday.

“With the symptomatic treatment we are currently offering, we are seeing patients recover,” added Akilimali.

“We are really hopeful. The virus here is not as complicated as those we have faced in the past, and with the support of all our partners, we believe we will be able to control this disease as soon as possible,” said Davin Amitapio, another doctor at the medical center.