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Ebola kills 33 in Democratic Republic of Congo

By Danielle Haynes
The World Health Organization said there were more than 40 confirmed or probable Ebola cases, with another 33 suspected illnesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. File Photo by Louis Annaud/MSF/EPA-EFE
The World Health Organization said there were more than 40 confirmed or probable Ebola cases, with another 33 suspected illnesses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. File Photo by Louis Annaud/MSF/EPA-EFE

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A new outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 33 people and is suspected of sickening dozens more, the World Health Organization said Sunday.

The agency said there were 43 cases of the disease, 13 confirmed and 30 probable, in North Kivu province. Officials said they were testing another 33 suspected cases.

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Among the ill were three healthcare workers, two of whom died.

The DRC declared the outbreak Wednesday days after a previous outbreak was considered over.

North Kivu province is home to more than 1 million people displaced people amid fighting between the government and militant groups. There also is frequent cross-border trade with Uganda, which could complicate containment of the disease.

An Ebola outbreak from 2014 to 2016 killed more than 11,000 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. This is the third outbreak in the DRC this year.

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