RIO DE JANEIRO -- A 46-year-old Brazilian man was to be tested for Ebola after developing symptoms of the deadly virus shortly after returning from the West African nation of Guinea, Brazil's health minister said Wednesday.
Speaking at a news conference, Marcelo Castro said that initial results were expected within 24 hours.
If confirmed, it would be the country's first case of Ebola. An earlier suspected case turned out to be negative.
Castro insisted that Brazil was prepared to deal with the disease: "We are on alert and working in a transparent manner."
Castro said the man, who was not identified by name, returned to Brazil on Nov. 6 after visiting Guinea, one of the flashpoints of the recent Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people, mostly in West Africa. While Guinea's neighbour Sierra Leone has marked the end of the outbreak, Guinea is still struggling to stamp out the virus.
The Brazilian man went to a public health clinic in the central state of Minas Gerais two days after returning home. His symptoms included head and muscle aches.
He was to be transferred to the country's top infectious disease hospital in Rio de Janeiro for tests.
The health workers who came into contact with him were being monitored.
