The São Paulo State Health Department reported this Saturday (30) that it is monitoring a suspected case of Ebola identified in the city of São Paulo. According to a report by the portal g1The patient is a 37-year-old man, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, an African country where the disease is circulating and where he had recently been before returning to Brazil.
According to health authorities, the patient presented symptoms consistent with the infection, including fever, and was referred to the Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectology, a national reference center for the treatment of infectious diseases. He remains hospitalized in isolation while laboratory tests are performed to determine the cause of his clinical condition.
The patient is in isolation.
According to the Health Department, the adoption of isolation is part of the safety procedures foreseen for situations involving suspected infectious diseases of high sanitary relevance.
The case is being monitored by the Disease Control Coordination (CCD) and the Epidemiological Surveillance Center of the State of São Paulo (CVE-SP).
Authorities emphasize that the measure aims to protect healthcare professionals, family members, and others who may have had close contact with the patient until a diagnosis is reached.
Tests should clarify the diagnosis.
Although initial suspicion points to the Ebola virus, experts emphasize that the symptoms presented by the patient may be associated with several other illnesses common in tropical regions.
According to information gathered by the TV GloboThose involved in the investigation believe that the clinical picture may also be consistent with febrile illnesses such as malaria, which is endemic in several areas of Africa.
For this reason, the patient is undergoing a series of laboratory tests to identify or rule out different diagnostic possibilities.
In addition to conventional tests, specific sequencing will be performed to check for the possible presence of the Ebola virus. The entire analysis process may take up to two weeks to complete.
Increased surveillance following international alert.
Last week, the Disease Control Coordination Office updated a technical note for the São Paulo state health network with guidelines on the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo strain.
The document reinforces surveillance procedures, identification of suspected cases, isolation of patients, and immediate communication to health authorities.
The State Health Department advises that any suspected case of the disease should be immediately reported to municipal epidemiological surveillance services and the State Epidemiological Surveillance Center.
How does transmission occur?
Ebola is a serious viral disease that is transmitted through direct contact with the blood, secretions, bodily fluids, or tissues of infected people who show symptoms.
Unlike respiratory illnesses, transmission does not occur simply through physical proximity or the movement of people in public spaces.
According to the State Department of Health, the risk is mainly associated with direct contact with contaminated fluids.
"The greatest risk is associated with direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people, especially in the more advanced stages of the disease," says the statement published by her.
The main symptoms of the disease include high fever, intense headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
History of the disease in Brazil
Ebola gained international notoriety during the large outbreak recorded in West Africa between 2014 and 2016. At that time, the World Health Organization declared the situation a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Around the same time, Brazil recorded episodes of investigations into suspected cases, including occurrences in the city of São Paulo. However, there was no confirmation of local transmission of the disease in the country.
To date, no autochthonous cases of Ebola have been recorded in South America, meaning infections originating on the continent itself.
Authorities await test results.
While the tests are being processed, the case continues to be handled cautiously by health authorities.
Maintaining the patient in isolation and epidemiological monitoring are part of the internationally recommended protocols for diseases with a high potential for severity.
The expectation is that laboratory tests will clarify whether the symptoms are related to the Ebola virus or another infectious disease. This process can take up to two weeks.
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