Portugal ‘must be prepared for imported cases of Ebola’, as has happened in France

Portugal should remain prepared for imported cases of Ebola despite the risk of the virus spreading in Europe remaining “extremely low”.

This is the view of Portuguese infectious disease specialist Margarida Tavares, who has been speaking to Sábado news magazine, following confirmation of the first Ebola case in Europe linked to the latest outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The case, confirmed in France, involves a humanitarian doctor who recently returned from the DRC, where an outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has been spreading since May. The doctor has been admitted to a specialist isolation unit and is reported to be in a stable condition.

Tavares stresses there is no reason for public alarm, but European countries, including Portugal, should ensure surveillance systems remain ready to detect and manage imported infections.

“The risk for Europe is extremely low,” she repeated, noting that this is not the first time humanitarian workers infected in the Congo have been evacuated for treatment in countries such as Spain, Germany and the United States.

Transmission in these circumstances is rare – while mortality among evacuated healthcare workers is significantly lower than among patients treated in the outbreak zone.

French health authorities have launched contact-tracing procedures to identify anyone who may have been exposed to the infected doctor, but say there is currently no wider risk to the population.

Tavares explains that the Bundibugyo strain has an incubation period of between two and 21 days and, based on current scientific evidence, infected individuals are not contagious before symptoms develop.

She said the rapid spread of the outbreak in eastern Congo has been driven by factors specific to the region, including delays in detecting the first cases, shortages of personal protective equipment, limited access to healthcare and traditional funeral practices involving direct contact with the deceased, when the virus is at its most infectious.

The Portuguese specialist said European health systems should continue identifying travellers and aid workers returning from affected areas while ensuring hospitals have specialist isolation facilities, trained staff and adequate protective equipment.

Patients with confirmed infections should remain in isolation for 21 days under specialist medical supervision, she added.

Although there are no vaccines or treatments specifically targeting the Bundibugyo strain, supportive medical care—including fluid replacement, symptom management and protection of vital organ function—can significantly improve survival rates.

Ebola is a severe viral haemorrhagic fever that can begin with fever, headaches and muscle pain before progressing to vomiting, diarrhoea, severe dehydration and, in the most serious cases, internal and external bleeding. The disease spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or animals, or with contaminated surfaces.

According to the latest figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has infected 1,048 people, causing 267 deaths, while 112 patients have recovered.

Source: Executive Digest