Ebola cases rise in DRC

More cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A further eight more people have been identified with the deadly disease, raising the total number to 17, said WHO spokesperson Fadela Chaib from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Over the last four months, a total of 170 people have been reported to have died from Ebola in the Kasai Occidental region, a province of the country which borders Angola.

"The number of people admitted to health centres and hospitals is slowing declining," Chaib told Reuters.

"It will take time to be able to understand retroactively what happened and what caused disease and death."

Ebola results in death for 50 to 90 per cent of cases and contracted by contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected persons. Symptoms start with fever and muscle pain, and are followed by vomiting and diarrhea.

News brought to you by Global Health TV, covering the issues of Health in the Developing world