Two suspected cases of Ebola virus have prompted the ministry to issue a health alert in the northern Lombardy region in the province of Como, Italy. Reports indicate that aid workers who recently completed a three-month stint in Uganda are under observation for a suspected infection.
Over 900 suspected cases and nearly 300 deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda since the outbreak of the virus.
According to Italian and European officials, both the man and woman, who returned from Uganda, showed symptoms including fever, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhoea.
For your daily dose of medical news and updates, visit: HEALTH
However, the official heaved a sigh of relief as both the test results for Ebola came back negative. Presently, the patients are hospitalised in isolation at the Sacco Hospital in Milan.
After the initial scare, Italy's Health Ministry stressed that the risk of Ebola in the country "remains very low".
Doctors are treating the woman’s condition as highly critical after she developed a severe fever and neurological symptoms pointing toward possible cerebral malaria. The man, meanwhile, remains in a less severe condition with a moderate fever and intestinal complications.
The ministry also confirmed that the national system for preparedness and response to infectious emergencies was fully operational.
As global health concerns mount, Italy has stepped up airport screenings for arrivals from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Authorities have deployed health questionnaires, temperature checks, and intensive surveillance protocols at Milan Malpensa and Rome Fiumicino airports.
With suspected cases approaching 1,000 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, escalating attacks on healthcare workers have emerged as another critical crisis. Two Ebola treatment centres were attacked by an angry mob after health workers refused to retrieve the bodies of those suspected to have died due to the infection.
Furthermore, healthcare workers are finding it challenging to convince local residents, as many still believe that Ebola is a myth.
Also read
- ‘Ebola is outpacing us’: WHO chief sounds alarm; No cases reported in India so far
- Ebola outbreak: Health authorities struggle as violence disrupts response in DRC; toll crosses 200
- Crisis in Congo? 18 patients missing after second Ebola treatment centre set ablaze
- 7 ways to stop an Ebola outbreak from becoming a public health crisis
ActionAid, an international humanitarian group, also reported widespread scepticism and a lack of awareness in Ituri province, citing field interviews conducted in mid-May immediately following the outbreak announcement.
"The only way to go, as far as this particular virus is concerned, is community engagement," said Yakubu Mohammed Saani, country director for Action Aid in Congo.
Meanwhile, both the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention believe the outbreak is larger than the cases reported so far.
