Ebola death toll rises to 18 in Gabon, Congo

Ebola is passed on through contact with body fluids and 90 percent of those it infects bleed to death within days. There is no vaccine and no known cure.

The first death from Ebola in a forested region around Mekambo in northern Gabon was reported two weeks ago and the virus has since spread to neighboring villages in the Congo Republic.

“As of December 23, 27 confirmed cases, including 18 deaths have been reported. An additional seven suspected cases are under investigation in Gabon,” the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement late on Monday. The previous WHO death toll on Friday had been 15.

“Currently 203 contacts are under active follow up. We anticipate one or more cases may develop among these contacts,” said the U.N. body, whose experts are helping track anyone who might have been near any victims.

Early diagnosis of Ebola is difficult because victims suffer symptoms similar to flu. The virus only becomes apparent in the last stages, when it eats through the victim’s veins and arteries, causing massive internal bleeding.

Scientists believe the disease can also be caught by eating meat from infected apes like chimpanzees and gorillas — which are regarded as a delicacy in Gabon and especially popular around the Christmas festive season.

The virus killed at least 66 people in a 1996 epidemic in an area of Gabon near Mekambo. It was first known to have struck the country in 1994, when it left more than 20 dead.

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