FIFTY people have died from the deadly Ebola virus since the epidemic broke out four months ago in northwestern Gabon, the health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. Ten people are infected with the virus and 12 suspected cases of Ebola have been identified, one of which has been included in the death toll. The disease is contained to the remote Ogooue-Invindo province in northwestern Gabon, the health ministry said. The haemorrhagic fever broke out in October 2001 in the eastern Mekambo region, near the border with Congo-Brazzaville. Thirteen people have died from Ebola in Congo while six suspected cases have been reported, health officials in Brazzaville said last month. Ebola is one of the most virulent diseases known to man, often causing massive haemorrhaging in which blood pours from the victim’s skin like sweat. The disease is spread through contact with body fluids including saliva, and its early symptoms are similar to those of flu. – AFP