For the first time in more than a year of the Ebola crisis, Guinea didn't have any new reported cases last week, which may signal the beginning of the epidemic's end. But that may be hampered if the test result of a Brazilian man turns out positive.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Nov 11, Marcelo Castro, Brazil's health minister, confirmed that a man, whose name remains withheld, is about to be tested for Ebola after arriving from Guinea and developing symptoms.
Based on the health official's statement, the Brazilian man, 46, traveled to Guinea, one of the three West African countries badly hit by the epidemic, and arrived in Brazil on Nov 6. A few days after, he developed symptoms such as muscle pains and high fever. He then sought out medical help in a public health clinic in Minas Gerais, one of Brazil's 26 states, who then organized the man's air transfer to Rio de Janeiro, the country's capital, for an Ebola blood test. The lab is designed to meet the international safety standards for Ebola diagnosis and treatment. It may take 24 hours before the results can be confirmed.
The Health Ministry has already alerted the international health agencies while anyone who has come in contact with the man have been quarantined. The clinic he first visited also refrained from accepting patients at the moment.
If the result comes back positive, this will be the first Ebola case in Brazil. There was already a suspected case where the blood tests came back negative. Nevertheless, Castro assures the public that the country is ready to treat the disease.
The latest Ebola crisis has been the most catastrophic so far, killing more than 10,000 people in three Western African countries, including Sierra Leone and Liberia. Survivors have also complained of long-term complications and disabilities such as vision and hearing loss.
