Published Date: 2007-09-23 10:00:10
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (07)
Archive Number: 20070923.3156

EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER - CONGO DR (07)
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A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Sun 23 Sep 2007
Source: US Today online, Associated Press (AP) report [edited]
<http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-09-22-ebola_N.htm>

Four more cases of Ebola [hemorrhagic fever] have been identified in Congo,
bringing the total of confirmed cases to 9, officials said on Saturday [22
Sep 2007].
The outbreak in Congo [Kasai Occidental province of The Democratic Republic
of the Congo - Mod.CP] is the 1st major resurgence of Ebola in years. At
least 167 people have died -- though it is not clear how many of Ebola --
in the affected region of Kasai Occidental [province] over the past 4
months, and nearly 400 have fallen ill, according to Congolese health
officials.
Christiana Salvi, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization effort in
Congo, said that the newest cases came from the same zone as the original
confirmed samples. She added that some of the 40-odd samples sent for
testing have been negative for Ebola but positive for other [infectious]
diseases like shigellosis -- a diarrhea-like disease -- or typhoid. Results
from dozens more samples have yet to be released. Congolese health
officials said Friday [21 Sep 2007] that they suspected the disease had
spread to a neighboring province [Kasai Oriental - Mod.CP] and were sending
samples from 2 people for testing.
Ebola quickly kills up to 90 per cent of those infected, through massive
blood loss, and has no cure or treatment. It is spread through direct
contact with the blood or secretions of an infected person or with objects
that have been contaminated with infected secretions. Congo's last major
Ebola outbreak struck in Kikwit in 1995, killing 245 people. Kikwit is
about 185 miles (300 km) from the site of the current outbreak. WHO says
more than 1000 people have died of Ebola since the virus was 1st identified
in 1976 in Sudan and Congo. Primates, hunted by many central Africans for
food, can carry the virus.
--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[The true extent of the Ebola haemorrhagic fever outbreak is still obscure.
An Agence France Presse report of 21 Sep 2007 quoting a UN source
<http://www.who.int/mediacentre/en/> has also reported 9 cases of Ebola
haemorrhagic fever in Kasai Occidental province, 5 confirmed cases of
shigella dysentery and one confirmed case of typhoid. The results of
another 45 samples were still pending. - Mod.CP]

See Also

Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (06) 20070921.3138
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (05): WHO 20070920.3132
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (04) 20070916.3076
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (03): WHO 20070914.3049
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (02) 20070912.3026
Ebola hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR 20070910.2996
Undiagnosed illness - Congo DR (Kasai Occidental): WHO, RFI 20070901.2882
Viral hemorrhagic fever - Congo DR (Kasai Occidental): susp. 20070829.2837
................cp/msp/sh

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