Posted on 02/20/2003 7:03:53 PM PST by Neuromancer
Edited on 02/20/2003 7:06:58 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
The World Health Organization announced Wednesday that two particularly deadly viruses have reemerged: Ebola and an unusual form of avian influenza that is lethal to humans.
An outbreak of Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever virus, has been under way in the Republic of Congo for more than a month, but is in such a remote region that blood samples from victims didn't reach the Geneva-based WHO until recently. So far, at least 80 people in western, mountainous Kelle province have been infected, 64 of whom have died, according to WHO. The outbreak is in a remote area, hundreds of miles from the capital of Brazzaville, near the border of Gabon. The outbreak appears to have begun in December, killing at least two mountain gorillas in a nearby region, Dr. David Heymann, WHO head of epidemic responses, said in an interview.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
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