Patient suspected of having Ebola tests positive for meningitis in SP

The São Paulo State Department of Health informed CNN Brasil that it was confirmed that the man who was classified as an Ebola virus suspect tested positive for the meningococcal meningitis bacteria. The diagnosis was confirmed by the Adolfo Lutz Institute.

The qPCR test performed on the patient detected the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis. The investigation was carried out preventively after identifying clinical and epidemiological criteria compatible with the suspected case.

"There is laboratory confirmation of the bacteria that causes meningococcal meningitis by the Adolfo Lutz Institute, within the differential diagnosis process. Even so, the investigation for Ebola remains ongoing until specific analyzes are completed", says Regiane de Paula, Health coordinator of the SES-SP Disease Control Coordination.

The patient is a 37-year-old man from the Democratic Republic of Congo - a country experiencing an Ebola epidemic - and who recently made a trip to the territory. He had symptoms such as fever, which made the case suspicious. He remains hospitalized at the Emílio Ribas Institute of Infectious Diseases, a reference in the care of suspected and confirmed cases, following the prescribed biosafety protocols.

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Source: CNN