Suspected case of Ebola is ruled out in a patient in Rio Grande do Sul

The Government of Rio Grande do Sul ruled out the suspected case of Ebola in a 64-year-old patient in Greater Porto Alegre. The negative result of the test analyzed by Fiocruz (Fundação Osvaldo Cruz) was released on Saturday night (13).

The elderly man's health status had been investigated since last Thursday (11), when he was treated at a health unit in Novo Hamburgo and subsequently transferred to Porto Alegre.

According to the state administration, he has a recent history of staying in Uganda, in West Africa, a country that has recorded an outbreak of the disease, according to the WHO (World Health Organization).

"The immediate adoption of surveillance protocols demonstrates the health system's ability to respond to situations that require investigation of diseases that pose a potential risk to public health. Case monitoring continues to be carried out by health care and surveillance teams", explains the Secretary of Health, Lisiane Fagundes.

During the investigation, a rapid test for malaria was performed, with a positive result for Plasmodium falciparum, and specific treatment was initiated.

This Friday (12), the patient had been transferred to Grupo Hospital Conceição, in Porto Alegre. This Saturday (13), samples for testing to detect Ebola were collected and sent to Fiocruz.

The operation involved technicians from Cevs and the Ministry of Health. The samples were transported by a FAB (Brazilian Air Force) plane to Galeão airport, in Rio de Janeiro.

Source: CNN