New Ebola-like disease spreads, leaving questions of its origin until testing is done.
A new epidemic of an Ebola-like illness has killed at least 63 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, health officials have said. Congolese Health Minister Mashako Mamba said on Friday that the symptoms of the disease were similar to those of the deadly Ebola virus - but added that no testing had yet been done. The World Health Organisation [sic] said several symptoms-such as respiratory problems-did not correspond with those of Ebola.... The WHO said 63 people out of 68 cases had died of the viral haemorragic fever since the beginning of the year. Fifty-eight were men aged 15-35. Mr. Mamba said the country was confronted by an epidemic. He told a news conference that the disease had killed 50 people in the northeastern town of Durba between mid-January and mid-March. There have also been reports that the virus is spreading towards Sudan, after starting in the rebel-held northeast ( BBC , May 3, 1999).
