An Ebola outbreak in northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed 65 people and infected hundreds of others, triggering concerns the disease could spread across borders.
About 246 people are suspected of having Ebola, with regional health officials convening an urgent meeting Friday to coordinate a response, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Preliminary testing detected the virus in 13 of 20 samples, with sequencing under way to determine the strain, it said.
Four deaths were among laboratory-confirmed cases in Ituri province, while suspected infections have also been reported in the city of Bunia.
Risks of the disease spreading are heightened due to population movements related to the mining industry, as well as insecurity in affected areas, gaps in contact tracing and the proximity of affected regions to Uganda and South Sudan, the Africa CDC said.
The agency is meeting with officials from the three countries, the World Health Organization and pharmaceutical companies including Merck & Co., Johnson & Johnson and Moderna Inc.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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