The 61-year-old patient returned on Feb 21 from the Lombardy region of Italy, the epicentre of an outbreak in the European country, Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said.
Mandetta said authorities were trying to identify people that had been in contact with the patient as well as his family members. The man had visited a doctor complaining of flu symptoms. He has been placed in home isolation but is said to be “fine.”The stock exchange was closed on Monday and Tuesday due to the annual Carnival, while stocks around the world were tumbling.Another 20 cases are under investigation, said health ministry official Wanderson Kleber de Oliveira.Before confirming the case, Mandetta had spoken to CBN radio station downplaying the virus as a simple “flu.