Two Potential Ebola Cases in Brazil Declared Negative

Health officials in Brazil have confirmed that two individuals suspected of having Ebola tested negative for the virus, ruling out the possibility of local transmission. The patients, who had recently returned from African nations and exhibited related symptoms, were isolated and monitored in Brazil’s two largest metropolitan areas.

According to a statement from São Paulo authorities, a 37-year-old man who had traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—the epicenter of the current outbreak—was cleared of Ebola. The patient had previously tested positive for meningitis. Meanwhile, a patient in Rio de Janeiro, a Belgian national who had recently visited Uganda, also tested negative for the virus. This individual had tested positive for malaria.

Health authorities noted that the man in São Paulo presented with symptoms including fever, while the patient in Rio displayed viral indicators such as coughing, chills, and diarrhea. Had either test come back positive, it would have marked the first instance of Ebola infection outside of Africa since the outbreak began in the DRC.

The situation in the DRC remains critical, with over 1,000 suspected cases and at least 246 fatalities recorded. The majority of these cases are located in the Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces. Meanwhile, Uganda has reported nine confirmed cases and one death.

The current epidemic is driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rare variant for which no effective vaccine currently exists. This strain carries a mortality rate of approximately one-third among those infected. To combat this specific strain, three new vaccines are in development by the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), the University of Oxford, and the pharmaceutical firm Moderna.

Ebola viruses typically circulate in animals, particularly fruit bats. Human outbreaks often originate when individuals consume or handle infected animals. The disease is transmitted to humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, including sweat, saliva, blood, semen, excrement, urine, and vomit.

Source: BBC News Generated at: 2026-06-01 21:40:19 UTC