Doctors Fear Ebola May Have Reached Zimbabwe

The death of a feverish patient in the resort town of Victoria Falls on Christmas Day has triggered concern that the Ebola virus has reached Zimbabwe for the first time.

Scientists in neighbouring South Africa were yesterday examining samples from the patient, who had shown symptoms of the disease. Staff at the Victoria Falls hospital isolated the man, an Angolan trader, after he was admitted with a fever on Christmas Eve.

One of the most deadly viral diseases, Ebola causes rapid death through massive blood loss in up to 90% of those infected. It is spread through direct contact with the body fluids of an infected person and is highly contagious.

"At the moment it is only a suspected case, and we will only know the cause of the death when we get laboratory tests results from South Africa," Zimbabwe's health minister, David Parirenyatwa, told the state-owned Sunday Mail newspaper.

Health officials had been told to be vigilant for symptoms among those who had come into contact with the patient. He had reportedly travelled to Zimbabwe via Namibia and Botswana.

An Ebola epidemic is the last thing Zimbabwe's battered health service needs. What was once one of southern Africa's best health services now lacks basic equipment and drugs, and many nurses and doctors have been striking for two months over wage levels.

Primates are believed to harbour the disease. Their consumption by humans is thought to be the leading cause of transmission of the virus, which has killed more than 1,000 people since 1976.