Fears Ebola has ‘spread to Congo after 10 people die’ with Ebola-like symptoms

August 2014 – DR of CONGO, Africa - There are fears Ebola could have spread to the Democratic Republic of Congo after 10 people died from a disease with Ebola-like symptoms, local officials said. The deceased, which included four health workers, lived in a remote part of the northern Equateur province of Boende. Democratic Republic of Congo has sent its health minister and a team of experts to the remote northern Equateur  to confirm if it is the deadly virus. If this is an Ebola outbreak, which is extremely likely, this would be the fifth country where the virus has appeared. Michel Wangi, a spokesman for the governor’ office, said: “An illness is spreading in Boende but we don’t know the origin.” So far the disease has killed more than 1,200 people in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Ironically, the first outbreak of the virus was reported here (then Zaire) on August 26, 1976 – almost exactly 38 years to the day. -ITV