Rebel authorities cooperating over Watsa epidemic

Reports from the ground in the northeastern Watsa area, where an outbreak of haemorrhagic fever has been identified, describe the security situation as quiet. A medical team - including MSF, WHO and Congolese doctors - says cooperation from the rebel authorities in the area has been good. In a report received by IRIN, the team noted that most of the victims in nearby Durba, were male adults between 30 and 50 years of age, most of them working illegally at the local goldmines. The report noted that most of these workers, known as "orpailleurs", are exploiting mines that have been abandoned. They live in primitive and unsanitary surroundings, and their working conditions are very often unhygienic. The majority of them travel to Uganda to sell their gold and the areas they transit will have to be investigated, the report stated. So far, around 60 people have died. Tests conducted on five samples in South Africa last week revealed one case of the Marburg virus.