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Tests to be conducted to find the source of the Ebola virus

South African experts are to conduct tests on Ugandan wildlife in an attempt to find out whether animals such as bats may have served as carriers of the Ebola virus, state radio’s foreign service reported on Thursday. Health ministry spokesman Paul Kaggwa, said experts from the National Institute of Virology will conduct tests on animals and birds to see whether the virus is passed from wildlife to humans. A recent outbreak of the disease in Uganda has killed 115 people and infected another 210. Scientists are not sure which living creatures host the virus when there are no reported infections. Experts from the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention have been in Uganda to help contain the disease.

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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