9 die of 'haemorrhagic fever'

2008-12-20 08:19

Kinshasa - Medical authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say nine people are dead from what could be haemorrhagic fever.

District Medical Inspector Edmond Mulamba says it is too early to label the illness. It is also too early to say if the deaths are due to Ebola, a type of haemorrhagic fever.

He says tests were being run to determine the cause of the deaths in remote Kasai Province. At least 14 other people are suffering from symptoms of haemorrhagic fever, including high temperature and violent vomiting.

Mulamba says a team of doctors from the World Health Organisation are travelling to the province.

Last year, at least 167 people died of Ebola in the same district where the current illness is being reported, around 700km southeast of the capital, Kinshasa.

- AP