Ebola death toll increases to 34

WHO said on Thursday that, up to 20 January, the Gabonese government had reported 26 confirmed cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever, including 23 deaths, while 16 confirmed cases, including 11 deaths, had been reported in the Republic of Congo. Another 22 suspected cases were under investigation in Gabon, WHO said in its 15th update on the Ebola outbreak in northeastern Gabon and across the border in the Republic of Congo. It said an international team of Ebola experts was operational in Congo, in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, and in Makokou in Ogooue-Ivindo Province, where the affected areas in Gabon are located. Discussions were being held in Gabon with national and provincial authorities on the return of the team to Mekambo, one of the affected areas. The team had been moved from Mekambo to Makokou because of hostility from villagers who insisted on performing cultural rites on Ebola victims, despite attempts by the medical team to stop the practices. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with body fluids of infected persons. There is no cure and between 50 percent and 90 percent of victims die. As at 7 January, the reported death toll had been 25 (18 in Gabon, 7 in Congo), while 34 confirmed cases had been reported (21 in Gabon, 13 in Congo), WHO said on 9 January in its 14th update.