Israel investigates 2nd suspected Ebola case linked to DR Congo outbreak

The Israeli Health Ministry announced on Sunday that it had identified a second suspected Ebola case after an individual is believed to have contracted the deadly disease during a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Central Africa.

The suspected patient was transferred to Sheba Medical Center outside Tel Aviv, where he will undergo testing. The ministry stressed that the case has not yet been confirmed and that final test results are expected to take several days.

The announcement came only two days after the ministry reported Israel's first suspected Ebola case, involving another individual who is believed to have contracted the virus in the Congo and is undergoing testing at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. The results of that patient's tests have not yet been released.

Ebola is a rare but severe illness that is often fatal to humans, according to the World Health Organization. Because Ebola is contagious, the Health Ministry said it has launched an epidemiological investigation to identify anyone who came into contact with the second patient after his return to Israel.

The ministry also urged the public to avoid nonessential travel to Ebola-affected regions of Africa. It emphasized that Ebola is not airborne and is transmitted through direct contact with an infected person or with bodily fluids, including blood and other secretions.

According to Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 200 people have died during the past month in the current Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda. Health authorities estimate there are as many as 35,000 suspected contacts, raising concerns that the outbreak could spread further.

Prof. Tal Brosh, coordinator of the Israeli Health Ministry's epidemic response team and head of the Infectious Diseases unit at Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital, said the virus most likely originated in animals such as bats. He warned that Ebola can cause "fever, flu-like pain, diarrhea and vomiting, and in some patients bleeding and multi-organ failure." Brosh also expressed pessimism about current efforts in the DRC to contain the outbreak.

“The forecasts for controlling the event are currently grim,” Brosh told Ynet News. However, he emphasized that the risk of an Ebola epidemic in Israel is low.

“There is no concern about an Ebola epidemic outbreak in Israel, only the arrival of isolated cases from Africa and then potential limited transmission,” Brosh explained. “Only someone who was in Congo or Uganda is at any risk. There is no risk to Israelis in Israel of contracting Ebola at this stage,” he assessed.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Health Ministry has decided to distribute personal protective equipment to medical centers across the country. In addition, the ministry has also established early identification mechanisms for travelers returning from Ebola-affected regions. The ministry has set up a laboratory for Ebola identification to handle the current situation.

The Health Ministry stressed that no confirmed Ebola case has been recorded in Israel so far and that suspected Ebola cases linked to an outbreak in 2014 all turned out to be negative.