KINSHASA, Apr 30 (Reuters) -- Forty-six people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo from an outbreak of haemorrhagic fever that bears signs of the Ebola virus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.
WHO resident representative in Kinshasa, Dr Abdou Moudi, told a news conference that the deaths were from 52 cases recorded since the fever first surfaced in January.
The deaths were in the Watsa locality in Ituri district of Oriental Province. Watsa is 140 km (90 miles) from Uganda's western border with Congo.
"The disease is very virulent. Forty-six deaths, including the medical officer in charge of the health district," had been recorded, Moudi said.
A total of 350 people died around the town of Kikwit in the former Zaire in 1995 in the most serious known epidemic of Ebola, which kills most of its victims.
All the cases reported in Watsa locality since January had symptoms of massive haemorrhaging, sudden high fevers, severe headache and weakness, usually followed by death within 48 hours, he said.
"Is it Ebola or another form of virus? Whatever the case, we need to act fast," added Moudi, who was involved in efforts to contain the 1995 epidemic.
Cases of Ebola have since been reported in the Central African state of Gabon, and Ivory Coast in West Africa.
Health Minister Mashako Mamba, speaking at the same news conference, appealed for urgent international assistance.
"We appeal to the international community, that is, countries equipped with laboratories... to mobilise in an effort toward diagnosing and limiting the affected area and supervising local personnel," he said.
"This epidemic looks very much like the Ebola virus, but for now let's speak of haemorrhagic fever pending confirmation," said leading Congolese virologist Jean-Jacques Muyembe.
He led local collaboration with international scientists in efforts to contain the 1995 epidemic.
