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Ebola cases rise to 55

    ABIDJAN

    The number of cases of Ebola haemorrhagic fever in Gabon and Republic of the Congo rose to 55, of whom have 46 died, the World Health Organization reported on Thursday.

    The UN agency quoted the Gabonese Ministry of Health as saying on Monday that 23 of the cases were confirmed by laboratory testing while 32 were epidemiologically linked. Contact tracing and follow-up were continuing, it added.

    Guy Zimmerman of the International Federation of the Red Cross told IRIN that news reports on Tuesday saying the outbreak had spread from the north-eastern Gabonese province of Ogooue-Ivindo, to the northern town of Oyem, near the border with Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Congo turned out false. "Only a possible contact was found, not a case", he said.

    Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons. There is no known cure, and between 50 and 90 per cent of victims die. The current outbreak started in December last year.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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