DR Congo quarantines river boat near Kinshasa over Ebola scare
What's new: Health teams screened 255 passengers and crew, with four symptomatic travelers tested as Kinshasa braces for possible spread.
Democratic Republic of Congo quarantined a passenger boat about 65 kilometers upstream from Kinshasa after a traveler linked to the vessel died with symptoms consistent with Ebola. Health ministry teams and the World Health Organization boarded the Yingfeng 2, set up a mobile lab and began screening 255 people on board for Ebola and cholera. Officials said four passengers with symptoms including fever had samples taken, with results expected Friday. The suspected case, a 32-year-old man, left the boat in Mongala province and later died on July 25. Authorities have given differing accounts of where the vessel started and when the man became ill, but said no one had yet tested positive. The move comes as Congo battles its 17th Ebola outbreak, with 3,973 confirmed cases and 1,801 deaths.