Congo’s Ebola toll grows: At least 35 deaths suspected

At least 35 people are believed to have died of Ebola in Central Africa, where 31 new cases have been reported since last week, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The outbreak in a remote northwestern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo is separate from the one in West Africa, which has spread to five countries and is the deadliest on record.

A total of 62 suspected and confirmed Ebola cases have been identified in four villages in Congo’s Jeera county since last month, the WHO said. They include nine health workers, seven of whom have died.

Those who care for patients are especially vulnerable to the hemorrhagic fever, which is spread through contact with blood and other bodily fluids. Health workers have identified 386 people who may have been exposed to the virus, the WHO said.

All the current cases were traced back to a woman who butchered a bush animal carcass, which is consistent with the way the virus was introduced into the human population in previous outbreaks.

Tests conducted at a laboratory in Gabon confirmed that the virus strain in Congo is an indigenous one and not the variant that has been spreading in West Africa. The outbreak there was first reported in Guinea in March and spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal.

More than 4,000 suspected and confirmed Ebola cases have been identified in West Africa, but authorities suspect the actual number is much higher. At least 2,200 people have died.

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