A Brazilian man is currently being tested for the deadly Ebola virus, as local authorities have taken preventative measures, isolating the public health unit where he had initially sought medical assistance.
Brazil Health Minister Marcelo Castro confirmed today that the 46-year-old man, who had recently visited Guinea, is now being tested for Ebola. The man had returned to Brazil on November 6 and complained of high fever with muscle pains, as well as headaches, on November 8. For privacy reasons, the man’s name was withheld by local officials.
The man had sought medical assistance at a Belo Horizonte emergency room, according to statements from Brazil’s health ministry. As a protective measure, that facility has stopped taking patients for the meantime. As for the patient, he was subsequently quarantined and will be flown via military plane today to Rio de Janeiro, where he will be tested at a government-organized laboratory to see if his blood contains traces of the Ebola virus. Other patients, as well as health care workers who had come in contact with the man are presently being monitored by health officials.
Furthermore, Castro was also quoted in his statement that Brazil promptly informed international health officials of the possible Ebola case in the country. “We are on alert and working in a transparent manner,” said Castro.
Recent weeks and months have seen West African nations Sierra Leone and Liberia declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization, but the disease is still being controlled in Guinea as of this writing. All three countries were greatly affected by what has been the deadliest Ebola outbreak in recent years. Over 11,000 people were killed in the epidemic, with the majority being West Africans.