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Scientists have found preliminary evidence that the Ebola virus -- one of the deadliest infectious agents known -- is the cause of a mysterious disease that has broken out in Zaire, health officials said Wednesday night. The disease has killed more than 100 people in Zaire, and health officials fear that panic might be aggravating the situation. An announcement of the preliminary laboratory findings, which were made at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, is to be made in Zaire today, said Dr. James Hughes of the federal agency

Scientists have found preliminary evidence that the Ebola virus, one of the deadliest infectious agents known, is the cause of a mysterious disease that has broken out in Zaire, officials of the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday night. The disease has killed at least 59 people in Zaire, and health officials fear that panic may be aggravating the situation there. Perhaps as many as 300 patients, doctors, nurses and other health care workers have fled hospitals in the affected areas, said Dr. Ralph H. Henderson, an assistant director general of WHO, a U.N. agency in Geneva. The Ebola virus was discovered in Zaire in 1976, where it killed 90 percent of the nearly 600 people who were infected there, and in the Sudan. It caused another outbreak in the Sudan in 1979, again killing 90 percent of the victims. There is no specific treatment or vaccine to prevent it, although general hygienic and medical precautions can help curtail its spread

Scientists have found preliminary evidence that the Ebola virus, one of the deadliest infectious agents known, is the cause of a mysterious disease that has broken out in Zaire, officials of the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last night. The disease has killed at least 59 people in Zaire, and health officials fear that panic may be aggravating the situation there. Perhaps as many as 300 patients, doctors, nurses and other health-care workers have fled hospitals in the affected areas, said Dr. Ralph Henderson, an assistant director general of WHO, a U.N. agency in Geneva. The Ebola virus was discovered in Zaire in 1976, where it killed 90 percent of the nearly 600 people who were infected there, and in the Sudan. It caused another outbreak in the Sudan in 1979, again killing 90 percent of the victims. There is no specific treatment or vaccine to prevent it, although general hygienic and medical precautions can help curtail its spread

Federal and international health officials said the risk of the spread of the Ebola virus outside of Zaire from the current outbreak was very small. Nevertheless, they are alerting quarantine inspectors at major airports to check for signs of illness among travelers from Zaire. 'From the information we have so far, it seems like a repeat story of what happened in Zaire in the late 1970's,' Dr. Henderson said. The virus is named for the area of Zaire in which it was first detected. 'The potential for spread outside of Zaire is very small indeed,' Dr. Henderson said. 'You have to work very hard to get the disease. It's not like measles or influenza.' The Ebola virus was first identified in western Sudan and nearby Zaire in 1976. A second outbreak occurred in the same region in 1979. SYMPTOMS: Sudden malaise, fever muscle pain, headache and sore throat followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash and heavy bleeding. Virus affects lever, spleen, kidney and, to a leser extent, pancreas, central nervous system and heart. Fatality rates range from 50 to 90 percent. TRANSMISSION: Direct contact with infected blood, organs, secretions, semen or contaminated needles. INCUBATION: 2-21 days. SUSCEPTIBILITY: All ages. TREATMENT: Relief os some symptoms only. No known cure. (Source: American Public Health Association) Map of Zaire showing location of Kikwit.BR>

The Ebola virus was discovered in Zaire in 1976, where it killed 90 percent of the nearly 600 people who were infected there, and in the Sudan. It caused another outbreak in the Sudan in 1979, again killing 90 percent of the victims. There is no specific treatment or vaccine to prevent it, although general hygienic and medical precautions can help curtail its spread. Federal and international health officials said the risk of the spread of the Ebola virus outside of Zaire from the current outbreak was very small. Nevertheless, they are alerting quarantine inspectors at major airports to check for signs of illness among travelers from Zaire. The new Ebola outbreak was centered in the city of Kikwit, 250 miles east of Kinshasa, Zaire's capital. But Ebola apparently has spread to another area from Kikwit, said [Ralph H. Henderson] of WHO

*****CORRECTION ran on May 12, 1995, as follows:***** Medical experts say the incubation period for the Ebola virus ranges from two to 21 days. An Associated Press graphic on Page A2 yesterday cited a narrower time range. Scientists have found preliminary evidence that the Ebola virus, one of the deadliest infectious agents known, is the cause of a mysterious disease that has broken out in Zaire, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last night. The Ebola virus was discovered in Zaire in 1976, where it killed 90 percent of the nearly 600 people who were infected there, and in the Sudan. It caused another outbreak in the Sudan in 1979, again killing 90 percent of the victims. There is no specific treatment or vaccine to prevent it, although general hygienic and medical precautions can help curtail its spread

Scientists have found preliminary evidence that the Ebola virus, one of the deadliest infectious agents known, is the cause of a mysterious disease that has broken out in Zaire, health officials said Wednesday night. The disease has killed at least 59 people in Zaire, and health officials fear that panic may be aggravating the situation. Perhaps as many as 300 patients, doctors, nurses and other health care workers have fled hospitals in the affected areas, said Dr. Ralph H. Henderson, an assistant director general of World Health Organization, a U.N. agency in Geneva. The Ebola virus was discovered in Zaire in 1976, where it killed 90 percent of the nearly 600 people who were infected there and in Sudan. It caused another outbreak in Sudan in 1979, again killing 90 percent of the victims. There is no specific treatment or vaccine to prevent it, although general hygienic and medical precautions can help curtail its spread

Scientists have found preliminary evidence that the Ebola virus, one of the deadliest infectious agents known, is the cause of a mysterious disease that has broken out in Zaire, officials of the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last night. The disease has killed at least 59 people in Zaire, and health officials fear that panic may be aggravating the situation there. Perhaps as many as 300 patients, doctors, nurses and other health care workers have fled hospitals in the affected areas, said Dr. Ralph H. Henderson, an assistant director general of WHO, a U.N. agency in Geneva, Switzerland

International teams of scientists, some equipped with protective suits and respirators, are being sent to Zaire to investigate an outbreak of a mysterious disease that has killed at least 56 people and put another 100 in hospitals in the last month, an official of the World Health Organization said Tuesday night

International teams of scientists, some equipped with protective clothing and respirators, are being sent to Zaire to investigate an outbreak of a mysterious disease that has killed at least 56 people and put another 100 in hospitals in the last month. The outbreak of the disease, which has caused high fever and severe bleeding, among other symptoms, was centered in the city of Kikwit