New Ebola outbreak leaves 65 dead as officials warn of cross-border spread

close Video Hantavirus outbreak impacts cruise ship off West Africa Reporter Jeff Paul provides an update on a deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship off West Africa. Three passengers have died, and three sick individuals were evacuated to the Netherlands. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Hören Sie sich diesen Artikel an 2 Min Africa’s top public health agency confirmed a new Ebola outbreak in Congo on Friday after 65 deaths and 246 suspected cases were recorded in the country’s remote Ituri province. Health officials are now investigating whether the outbreak involves the Ebola-zaire" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="127731" data-entity-type="topic">Ebola Zaire strain — the deadliest and most well-known version of the virus — or a different variant, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Neighboring Uganda also confirmed one Ebola-related death involving a Congolese man whose case officials said was imported from Congo. The outbreak has been concentrated in the Mongwalu and Rwampara health zones in eastern Congo, an area near the borders of Uganda and South Sudan that officials warned could become a regional transmission risk because of mining-related travel, weak infrastructure and ongoing insecurity. Ebola OUTBREAK REPORTED IN AFRICAN COUNTRY — HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Health workers wearing protective suits tend to an Ebola victim in an isolation tent in Beni, Congo, on July 13, 2019. (Jerome Delay/AP) Ebola is a highly contagious and often fatal disease spread through bodily fluids including blood, vomit and semen. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain and internal bleeding. The Africa CDC said only four of the deaths have so far been laboratory confirmed, while testing and sequencing efforts continue to determine the exact strain involved in the outbreak. Initial tests suggested the outbreak may not involve the Ebola-zaire" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="127731" data-entity-type="topic">Ebola Zaire strain, which was responsible for Congo’s devastating 2018-2020 epidemic that killed more than 1,000 people. Uganda STARTS CLINICAL TRIAL OF VACCINE FOR SUDAN STRAIN OF Ebola AMID NEW OUTBREAK Health workers walk with a boy suspected of having the Ebola virus at a treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP) The World Health Organization (WHO) said it sent a response team to the region last week to help local officials investigate the outbreak and collect samples. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Congo has a "strong track record" responding to Ebola outbreaks and announced the agency is releasing $500,000 in emergency funding to support containment efforts. Health authorities said Congo has stockpiles of Ebola treatments and approximately 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, though officials cautioned the vaccine is only effective against the Ebola-zaire" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="127731" data-entity-type="topic">Ebola Zaire strain and not against Sudan or Bundibugyo variants. A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP) This marks Congo’s 17th recorded Ebola outbreak since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976. The Associated Press contributed to this reporting. Jasmine Baehr is a Breaking News Writer for Fox News Digital, where she covers politics, the military, faith and culture. Fox News' Antisemitism Exposed" newsletter brings you stories on the rising anti-Jewish prejudice across the U.S. and the world." By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News and Terms of Use, and agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can opt-out at any time. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!