Ebola districts sealed off

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

BRAZZAVILLE - As the number of suspected cases of the deadly Ebola virus rise in Republic of Congo's northern Region of Cuvette-Ouest, the government and the UN World Health Organization (WHO) announced they had quarantined the districts of Etoumbi and Mbomo.

A medical surveillance team is currently monitoring 84 people who could be infected in the two districts, an adviser to the Congolese Ministry of Health, Jean-Vivien Mombouli, said on Monday.

Ebola is transmitted through body fluids and tissue of people and chimpanzees infected with the virus. It is one of the most virulent viral diseases known to humankind, according to WHO.