The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that Ebola has returned to the Republic of Congo, killing nine people since the end of April.

WHO's representative in Congo Adamou Yada said the results of laboratory tests showed the presence of the deadly virus in the country.

The latest outbreak is in the forested northwestern Cuvette-Ouest region, where nearly 150 people died from Ebola in 2003. Neighboring Gabon also had outbreaks in 2001 and 2002.

There is no known cure for Ebola, which is passed on by infected body fluids and kills between 50 and 90 percent of victims, depending on the strain.

Ebola damages blood vessels and can cause extensive bleeding, diarrhoea and shock. Its worst outbreak, in 1995, killed more than 250 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

(CRI.com May 19, 2005)