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Published On: Wed, May 29th, 2013

Six suspected Ebola cases reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo

At least six suspected cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) are being reported from Aketi, Bas-Uele District in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) bulletin.

This comes just six months after an Ebola outbreak in the country, which ended Nov. 26, 2012. That outbreak, with its epicenter in Isiro, resulted in 62 cases and 34 deaths.

Ebola virus  Image/CDC

Ebola virus Image/CDC

A team from the provincial health division is on the ground to investigate and to take samples, according to the UN bulletin.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever was first recognized in 1976 and was named after a river in the Congo. It received a lot of popular attention thanks to the best-seller, “The Hot Zone”.

Infections with Ebola virus are acute. There is no carrier state. Because the natural reservoir of the virus is unknown, the manner in which the virus first appears in a human at the start of an outbreak has not been determined.

People can be exposed to Ebola virus from direct contact with the blood and/or secretions of an infected person. Thus, the virus is often spread through families and friends because they come in close contact with such secretions when caring for infected persons. People can also be exposed to Ebola virus through contact with objects, such as needles, that have been contaminated with infected secretions.

The incubation period for Ebola HF ranges from 2 to 21 days. The onset of illness is abrupt and is characterized by fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, sore throat, and weakness, followed by diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. A rash, red eyes, hiccups and internal and external bleeding may be seen in some patients.

The death rate for Ebola HF can be up to 90%. There is no standard treatment for Ebola HF.

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About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

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  1. DRC Ebola outbreak ‘false alarm’, still unknown what killed three children - The Global Dispatch says:

    […] Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) bulletin, which reported on six suspected cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), health officials in the DRC say that Ebola […]

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