Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say two
people have died from Ebola in the country's north-west.
They are the first reported Ebola cases outside West
Africa since the outbreak there began, although it is not
clear if they are directly linked to that outbreak.
So far 1,427 people have died from the virus.
The speed and extent of the outbreak has been
"unprecedented", the World Health Organization (WHO)
says.
An estimated 2,615 people in West Africa have been
infected with Ebola since March.
There is no known cure but some affected people have
recovered after being given an experimental drug,
ZMapp. However, supplies are now exhausted.
Also on Sunday, a British health worker infected with
Ebola in Sierra Leone was flown back to the UK on an RAF
jet. It is the first confirmed case of a Briton contracting
the virus during the current outbreak.
The US has sent medical supplies to help fight the
outbreak in Liberia
Quarantine zone
Several people died in the past month after contracting
an unidentified fever in the Equateur region of the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
On Sunday, Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi said two
of eight fever victims had tested positive for Ebola.
He told the BBC a quarantine zone would be set up in a
100-km (62-mile) radius in Boende where the cases had
been registered.
He said this marked the seventh outbreak in DRC. The
virus was first identified here in 1976 near the Ebola
River.
Mr Numbi added that further tests were being carried
out.
On Saturday, Sierra Leone parliament passed a new law
making it a criminal offence to hide Ebola patients.
Already more people have died in this outbreak of Ebola
than in any other
If approved by the president, those caught face up to two
years in prison.
The move came after the Ivory Coast closed its land
borders to prevent the spread of Ebola on to its territory.
The country has already imposed a ban on flights to and
from Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Gabon, Senegal, Cameroon and South Africa have taken
similar measures.
The WHO says travel bans do not work, and that what is
needed is more doctors and officials to help trace those
infected with Ebola, as well as more mobile laboratories.
Last week, two US doctors were discharged from a hospital
in Liberia after being given the ZMapp drug, while three
Liberian medics are also recovering well.
Ebola is spread between humans through direct contact
with infected bloodily fluids. It is one of the world's
deadliest diseases, with up to 90% of cases resulting in
death.
Source: http://m.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28922290

FP, mods.