Congo's government on Tuesday declared a new outbreak of Ebola in the country's rural northwest, after two cases of the deadly virus were confirmed in Bikoro. Congo's Health Ministry said that of the five samples sent to the National Institute of Biological Research in Kinshasa, two came back positive for the Zaire strain of Ebola in the country's Equateur Province. A team was sent by the World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders over the weekend to investigate and strengthen coordination. This is the ninth Ebola outbreak in Congo since 1976, when the deadly disease was first identified. Without preventive measures, the virus can spread quickly between people and is fatal in up to 90 percent of cases.

Source: ABC News May 08, 2018 16:15 UTC