Fear of Ebola outbreak as eight die

Eight people have died over the past two weeks in the Republic of Congo (ROC) with Ebola-like symptoms, raising fears of a new outbreak of the disease, Minister of Health Alphonse Gando announced on Thursday. "People must absolutely avoid all contact with patients, even if they are relatives and, above all, not touch dead animals in the forest," he said. "This is really important, as the virus is very dangerous and contagious." There is no known cure for Ebola, which is transmitted via infected body fluids and kills 50 percent to 90 percent of its victims, depending on the strain. The disease damages blood vessels and can cause bleeding, diarrhoea and shock. Its worst outbreak, in 1995, killed more than 250 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Gando said since 27 April, health workers in the district of Etoumbi in Cuvette-Ouest Region had recorded seven deaths and three patients with clinical symptoms that strongly resemble those of the Ebola virus. He said another person who had left the town of Etoumbi for Mbomo had also died after exhibiting similar symptoms. Etoumbi and Mbomo are 640 km and 700 km, respectively, to the north of Brazzaville, the capital. The government has sent experts to the area with the help of the UN World Health Organization, Gando said. He added that they were waiting for results of laboratory tests to determine whether this was a new Ebola outbreak. Nearly 150 people died of Ebola in 2003 in Cuvette-Ouest. Neighbouring Gabon also had outbreaks in 2001 and 2002.