Killer Eye-Bleeding Virus Spreads to New Country

BENEDICTION MURHABAZI / AFP via Getty ImagesFrench health authorities have confirmed a case of Ebola in a doctor who recently returned from a humanitarian deployment in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, marking the latest country to detect the deadly virus. The patient has been isolated, and officials are tracing potential contacts. The health ministry said Wednesday that the risk to the wider European public remains low. The case is linked to a rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, weakness, vomiting, and diarrhea, and in severe cases can cause internal and external bleeding, including from the eyes. More than 1,000 suspected cases and 267 deaths have been reported during the outbreak, though the vast majority have been confined to the DRC and neighboring Uganda. Suspected cases in Austria and Brazil were later ruled out, while a small number of Americans were infected after traveling to the region. Children have been particularly vulnerable, accounting for 15 percent of confirmed infections but more than a quarter of deaths, according to UNICEF. The United States has imposed travel restrictions on countries affected by the outbreak.Read more at The Daily Beast.