Plague outbreak feared in eastern Congo -- WHO

GENEVA, Sep 30 (Reuters) A deadly epidemic feared to be pneumonic plague has broken out in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

There are dozens of suspect cases and up to 20 deaths in the outbreak, which a WHO team is investigating along with health ministry officials, WHO plague expert Eric Bertherat said yesterday.

''There is an epidemic which we are trying to confirm is the plague in the northeast Ituri region,'' Bertherat told Reuters.

Preliminary indications point to pneumonic plague, the most deadly and least common form of the disease, which can be spread by humans without involvement of fleas, he said.

''It seems it could be the pneumonic form, which is extremely contagious with a high mortality rate of about 50 per cent ... At least several dozen cases are reported and up to 20 fatalities,'' Bertherat said.

The outbreak is around Isiro, northeast of the eastern city of Kisangani in the remote, mineral-rich Ituri region.

In early 2005, 150 cases of plague were confirmed in Zobia, north of Kisangani, half of them fatal, according to the WHO.

Many of the miners working at the diamond mine in Zobia fled the outbreak and spread the highly contagious disease.

Plague, which causes fever, aches, vomiting and nausea, as well as open sores in some forms, is endemic in many African countries, the Americas, Asia and the former Soviet Union.

Rapid diagnosis and treatment with antibiotics is essential to reduce complications and fatality, according to the WHO.

''Case management is very demanding. Patients have to be isolated and taken care of and all of their contacts traced and given antibiotics for seven days to prevent spread,'' said Bertherat, who headed the WHO emergency team in Zobia.

The vast central African country's government is seeking to put behind it a 1998-2003 civil war that pulled in armies from six neighbouring countries and killed 4 million people, most of whom died from hunger and disease.

Fighting between militias and the national army has continued this year in Ituri region, where the government is trying to re-establish control. Lawlessness has hampered efforts to help tens of thousands of refugees, aid agencies say.

REUTERS MQA PM0928