Brazilian health authorities announced that two men with symptoms compatible with Ebola are in preventive isolation, at a time when there is concern about the spread of a deadly outbreak of the virus in central Africa.

In Sao Paulo, a 37-year-old man who was in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) “presented symptoms such as fever, meeting the definition of a suspected case” of Ebola, the Sao Paulo governorate said in a note, without specifying the date of entry of the subject into Brazilian territory. The patient tested positive for a severe case of meningitis and is hospitalized “in isolation.”

In Rio de Janeiro, the state health secretary also announced that a man from Uganda, who entered Brazil on May 22, is in isolation after presenting “viral symptoms such as cough, chills and diarrhea” and testing positive for malaria.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international public health emergency on May 17, its second highest alert level, due to the outbreak of a rare strain of Ebola affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda.

Strain responsible for the outbreak has no vaccine and there is no treatment

There have been more than 1,000 suspected cases of Ebola in the DRC since the outbreak was declared in the country on May 15, including almost 250 deaths, the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the health agency of the African Union (AU), reported on Thursday.

Uganda confirmed two new cases of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever on Friday, bringing the total to nine since May 15, including one death.

The strain responsible for the current outbreak is called Bundibugyo and has no vaccine or specific treatment. The virus is transmitted between people through bodily fluids or exposure to the blood of those infected, who are only contagious once they show symptoms. The incubation period can last up to 21 days.