Luanda - Angola has shut down its northeastern border with the Democratic Republic of Congo in an attempt to stop the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, the state-run ANGOP news agency said on Tuesday.
Health Minister Jose Van Dunem said the move aimed to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease, which broke out in DR Congo in November 2008, ANGOP said.
He said preventive measures, including disease surveillance, were extended to a number of towns near the border.
Kinshasa said last week that the outbreak had killed nine and infected 21 since it was detected in November.
Named after a small Congo river, the disease was found in the town of Kampungu, near Mueka in the Western Kasai province.
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Ebola is deadly in the majority of cases, with victims haemorrhaging all over and bleeding from body orifices before dying in the most severe instances.
Angola's booming economy spurred by oil production has become a magnet for migrant workers from neighbouring countries including DR Congo.
The southern African country has overtaken Nigeria as sub-Saharan Africa's largest oil producer, pumping around two million barrels per day. - Sapa-AFP
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