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Tag: Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

  • Brazil Monitoring Two Suspected Ebola Cases as Health Authorities Activate Emergency Protocols

    Brazil Monitoring Two Suspected Ebola Cases as Health Authorities Activate Emergency Protocols

    Health authorities in Brazil are monitoring two patients for possible Ebola infections in the country’s largest cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, amid concerns over a growing outbreak in Africa.

    Officials in São Paulo reported that a 37-year-old man from Democratic Republic of the Congo developed symptoms including fever and is undergoing testing for the virus. Meanwhile, health authorities in Rio de Janeiro activated emergency safety protocols after a Belgian traveler who recently arrived from Uganda displayed symptoms such as cough, chills, and diarrhea.

    Laboratory results for both patients are expected next week.

    If either case is confirmed, it would mark the first Ebola infection detected outside Africa since the current outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    The outbreak has already resulted in more than 1,000 suspected cases in DR Congo and at least 246 deaths. Uganda has also reported nine confirmed infections and one fatality linked to the disease.

    Health officials note that both patients in Brazil have already received separate diagnoses. The patient in São Paulo tested positive for meningitis and remains in serious condition, while the traveler in Rio de Janeiro was diagnosed with malaria. However, authorities stress that these findings do not eliminate the possibility of a simultaneous Ebola infection.

    The current outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a variant for which there is currently no proven vaccine. Historically, the strain has carried a fatality rate of roughly one-third of infected patients.

    Ebola is a viral disease that is believed to originate in animals, particularly fruit bats, before spreading to humans through contact with infected animals or their bodily fluids. Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, sweat, urine, vomit, semen, or feces from an infected individual.

    Over the weekend, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that the outbreak has reached an “alarming” stage, citing the unusually rapid rise in cases during the early phase of the epidemic.

    At the same time, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is visiting the heavily affected Ituri province in DR Congo to oversee containment and response efforts.

    Despite the suspected cases in Brazil, the World Health Organization has repeatedly emphasized that the risk of widespread global transmission remains low and that international spread of the outbreak is considered highly unlikely.

    Health officials in Brazil continue to monitor both patients closely while awaiting definitive test results that will determine whether the country is facing its first Ebola cases linked to the ongoing African outbreak.

  • Hantavirus Cases Climb to 11 After Deadly Cruise Outbreak as Passengers Quarantine Worldwide

    Hantavirus Cases Climb to 11 After Deadly Cruise Outbreak as Passengers Quarantine Worldwide

    Global health officials have confirmed 11 hantavirus cases linked to the luxury expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, with experts warning that more infections could emerge in the coming weeks as passengers remain under quarantine and medical observation around the world.

    The outbreak, which has already claimed three lives, began after the vessel departed Argentina on April 1 carrying nearly 150 passengers and crew on a remote sightseeing expedition through isolated regions of the South Atlantic.

    Among those currently quarantined is American passenger Jake Rosmarin, who spoke from a quarantine room at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska.

    Rosmarin, who has not tested positive and is not showing symptoms, said learning about the outbreak onboard was frightening, especially after researching the virus online. He said he largely remained isolated in his cabin while still aboard the ship and only felt relief after disembarking in Spain’s Canary Islands.

    A total of 18 American passengers returned to the United States, with 16 placed under observation in Nebraska and two others monitored at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. US health officials confirmed that two passengers are currently being housed in specialized biocontainment units “out of an abundance of caution.”

    Three deaths have been linked to the outbreak so far, including a Dutch couple and a German passenger. The first victim died after being removed from the ship at the remote island of St. Helena, while his wife later died in a hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    The cruise ship eventually docked in Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands, where passengers underwent health screenings before returning to their home countries. Positive cases have since been identified in France, Spain, and Switzerland, prompting international monitoring efforts.

    Health authorities are especially concerned because the Andes strain of hantavirus involved in the outbreak can spread through prolonged close human contact, although experts stress the overall public risk remains low.

    Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that additional cases may still emerge due to the virus’s incubation period, which can last up to 42 days.

    US officials emphasized that hantavirus does not spread easily and typically requires close interaction with someone already showing symptoms. Brendan Jackson of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said health agencies are continuing aggressive monitoring efforts while investigators work to identify the exact source of the outbreak.

    The World Health Organization is focusing particular attention on a bird-watching excursion in southern Argentina attended by the first passenger who later died before boarding the cruise.

    Oceanwide Expeditions confirmed that all passengers and most crew members have now disembarked from the ship. The remaining crew are sailing the vessel to Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where it is expected to arrive later this month.

    Medical experts noted that this is not the first major hantavirus cluster. A similar outbreak in Argentina in 2018 infected 34 people and killed 11 after the virus spread during social gatherings.

  • WHO Chief Reassures Tenerife Residents as Hantavirus Cruise Ship Nears Canary Islands

    WHO Chief Reassures Tenerife Residents as Hantavirus Cruise Ship Nears Canary Islands

    Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has appealed for calm among residents of Tenerife as a cruise ship linked to a hantavirus outbreak prepares to anchor offshore on Sunday.

    The vessel, the MV Hondius, has been at the center of growing concern after eight confirmed hantavirus cases and three deaths were connected to the outbreak onboard, according to the World Health Organization.

    Local protests intensified over the weekend as residents voiced fears that the arrival of passengers from the ship could damage Tenerife’s tourism-dependent economy and potentially spread the virus. Demonstrators gathered in the streets chanting, “Yes to tourism, no to the virus.”

    Despite the concerns, Tedros insisted the risk to the local population remains low.

    “The risk to you, living your daily life in Tenerife, is low,” the WHO chief said Saturday, emphasizing that the assessment was made under strict international health protocols.

    Tedros explained that nearly 150 passengers and crew from 23 countries have remained stranded at sea for weeks, with many eager to return home after the outbreak.

    Spanish authorities approved the ship’s arrival after the national government overruled objections from some local leaders. Tenerife was selected because of its medical infrastructure and ability to safely coordinate the operation, according to WHO officials.

    The ship is expected to anchor offshore near the port of Granadilla early Sunday. Most passengers and crew members will reportedly be transported ashore in small boats before being transferred directly to waiting repatriation flights using sealed and guarded vehicles.

    Tedros sought to reassure residents that the operation would be tightly controlled.

    “You will not encounter them,” he said. “Your families will not encounter them.”

    Tedros also announced plans to personally travel to Tenerife to observe the repatriation process and support medical teams and port officials handling the operation.

    Maria Van Kerkhove told reporters that health screenings are continuing onboard the ship and that no passengers or crew are currently showing symptoms. Contact tracing efforts are also underway to identify those potentially exposed to confirmed cases.

    Several countries, including the United States, Germany, France, Belgium, Ireland and Netherlands, have dispatched aircraft to evacuate their citizens from Tenerife.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also deployed personnel to Tenerife to assist with the evacuation of 17 American passengers. They are expected to be transported to a quarantine facility in Nebraska previously used during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    WHO officials said all passengers and crew are expected to undergo active monitoring for 42 days following their last known exposure to a confirmed case.