Brazilian health officials are monitoring two patients for possible Ebola infection in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
A 37-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo presented with fever in São Paulo. In Rio, a Belgian traveler arriving from Uganda exhibited viral symptoms including cough, chills, and diarrhea. Test results are expected next week.
If confirmed, these would be the first Ebola cases outside Africa since the current outbreak began. DR Congo has reported over 1,000 suspected cases and at least 246 deaths; Uganda has nine confirmed cases and one death.
The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain, which has no proven vaccine and kills about one-third of those infected. Both patients have already been diagnosed with other conditions: the Congolese man has meningitis, and the Belgian patient has malaria.