Corona virus: first case in Brazil

So far, South America has been spared the corona virus. Instead of coming from China, the virus seems to have crept in from Italy.

Rio de Janeiro (dpa) - The first coronavirus case was registered in Brazil on Tuesday. It could also be the first case ever in South America.

An official statement from the Department of Health said they were investigating a case in São Paulo with the city and state health authorities. According to a report by the "G1" portal, the illness is said to have been diagnosed by Albert Einstein Hospital. According to this, a 61-year-old man who traveled to northern Italy between February 9 and 21 showed the symptoms of the disease like coughing. He was now isolated at home.

A second test was carried out at the Adolfo Lutz Institute, something like an accredited laboratory of the Ministry of Health. The newspaper "Folha de São Paulo" later reported that this was also positive. According to the "BNews" portal, this was confirmed by the governor of the state of São Paulo, João Doria. "We are clearly worried," quoted "G1" Brazilian Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta. The metropolis of São Paulo is the largest city in the country. The origin of the new virus is in China. More than 77,000 infections and around 2,600 deaths have now been recorded there. More than 2,200 infections and more than 25 deaths have been reported from around 30 countries and regions outside mainland China. The virus is spreading more and more in Europe as well, particularly in northern Italy. In contrast, there has been no confirmed case in Latin America. There is no protective vaccination or special therapy to treat the disease. The symptoms - including dry cough, fever and shortness of breath - can be alleviated with medication.

Twitter Ministry of Health

Report G1

Folha de São Paulo report

BNews report