Geneva (Fides Service (Fides Service) - Laboratory tests confirmed that the Ebola virus is the cause of the haemoragic fever which recently hit north west Congo. Altogether 80 cases were reported, of whom 64 died,, most of these 72 cases and 59 deaths in the district of Kelle. The Congo government requested help prevent the spreading of the virus from the World Health Organisation which has sent a group of experts to show people adequate preventative measures. This is the second outbreak of Ebola in this region in 15 months. The first outbreak spread from a neighbouring country in December 2001, infecting 59 persons of whom 50 died. Ebola is a violent viral disease which causes death in 50-90% of clinically confirmed cases. The virus is transmitted by direct contact with blood, body, fluids and tissues, of the infected person. In past epidemics many health workers, several of them Catholic nursing nuns, caught and died of the fatal disease while treating patients. Info on Ebola in Africa at www.fides.org AP (Fides Service 20/2/2003 EM lines 24 Words: 314)