Brazil bolsters Ebola preventive measures

Brazilian Health Minister Arthur Chioro announced Wednesday that the country will take stronger measures to prevent an outbreak of Ebola.

Calling the spread of the Ebola disease in West Africa "worrying," Chioro told state news agency Agencia Brasil that the government plans to carry out an emergency drill, using a simulated case of a possible Ebola patient in Sao Paulo state's Port of Santos.

The drill would serve to test the joint response of the national health monitoring service and local authorities.

Chioro said Brazil should not ignore the seriousness of the situation despite the current small risk of cases in the country.

According to the World Health Organization, 8,033 people have been infected with the Ebola virus, and 3,879 have died.

U.S. authorities reported Wednesday the death of the first Ebola patient diagnosed with the deadly virus on American soil, a Liberian who flew to Texas to visit his relatives. Enditem