Ebola team temporarily relocated

International Ebola experts have been temporarily relocated from an area in northern Gabon because of hostility from villagers, humanitarian agencies reported. WHO said on Wednesday that the team, which has been working to contain an outbreak of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Gabon and neighbouring Republic of Congo, was moved from Mekambo to Makokou due to security concerns. Both areas are in northern Gabon. Red Cross officials in Gabon said the move was prompted by local hostility that arose over attempts to stop traditional burial rites, such as washing the bodies of the dead, in order to curb the spread of the disease. "The team is reviewing the current situation with provincial and national authorities and is planning to return to Mekambo as soon as possible to continue efforts to contain the outbreak with local authorities," WHO said. Gabon's Red Cross, supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, was also seeking to restore access for the team. "A similar problem arose in another area in December, and Red Cross volunteers recruited from the affected communities were able to mediate and persuade villagers to remove road blocks preventing the international medical team from entering their village," the Federation said on Thursday. The statement quoted a Federation Ebola expert in Gabon, Razak Akadiri, as saying the volunteers would explain to the local population, actions required to ensure the epidemic is contained. Detected nearly two months ago, the virus had claimed the lives of 25 people in Gabon and Congo by Monday. A total of 34 confirmed cases had been reported, while another 231 people had been identified for monitoring, WHO said. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the body fluids of infected persons. There is no cure and between 50 percent and 90 percent of victims die.