Brazil discusses approach to Ebola

Following the announcement of the first case of Ebola in the United States, Brazil's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) held a debate Wednesday (October 1st) about the disease and how the country is planning to approach it. Speakers said that an outbreak in Brazil is very unlikely, but listed a number of steps that should be taken in order to avoid concerns.

Epidemiologist José Cerbino Neto emphasized the importance of training of health professionals and having a clearly defined safety procedure in place before any cases emerge, so that the chances of the virus spreading can be mitigated. He pointed out how, in the US incident, the hospital discharged the infected patient following tests, in spite of all the symptoms and the fact that he had just recently come back from Liberia, a country with a track record of epidemics. “[The patient] should have been quarantined from the start, but a few days elapsed after the first symptoms emerged and that is possibly when he may have passed the disease on to others,” he said.

The superintendent of the National Health Inspection Agency, Eduardo Carmo, explained that “an interministerial workgroup has been holding weekly meetings and has come up with a contingency plan designed to deal with any cases that emerge in the country. So far, two simulations have been carried out in order to test the plan.

Also according to him, the government has already decided to repatriate any Brazilians infected abroad, but details as to which means of transport they are going to use remain open. Other arrangements are also being discussed including those concerning corpse conveyance.

So far, over 3,000 people have died of Ebola and more than 6,000 were infected in West African countries. The incubation period ranges between two and 21 days. Transmission only occurs after the first symptoms appear, which can include severe fatigue, fever, vomiting and headaches. The Ebola virus was discovered in 1976, with the first known cases occurring near Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Translated by Mayra Borges