An outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Guinea has left at least 59 people dead.
Medical researchers in the region had been unable to identify the illness, which started making an appearance last month and is characterized by "diarrhea, vomiting and fever," CNN reported.
Six out of seven blood samples tested at Pasteur in Lyon, France came back positive for the Ebola virus, a World Health Organization news release reported.
"Preliminary results from sequencing of a part of the L gene has showed strong homology with Zaire Ebolavirus, additional laboratory studies are ongoing to confirm these findings," the news release reported.
Fifty-nine people out of the 80 known cases are believed to have died from the virus, three of which may have been children.
"In Guinea, a country with a weak medical infrastructure, an outbreak like this can be devastating," the UNICEF representative in Guinea, Dr. Mohamed Ag Ayoya, said in a UNICEF statement, CNN reported.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) with WHO and other organizations are working to help control the spread of the deadly virus. A number of multidisciplinary teams have been instructed to "search and manage cases; trace and follow-up contacts; and to sensitize communities on the outbreak prevention and control," the news release reported.
Officials have warned the disease is mainly spread by contact with the ill or recently deceased as well as with their personal effects. Consumption of animals in the bush could also be promoting the spread of the virus, CNN reported.
Health officials are offering free treatment for many of the Ebola patients. The international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres will also be flying 33 tons of medicine and medical equipment to the region.
"Isolation units are essential to prevent the spread of the disease, which is highly contagious," Dr. Esther Sterk, MSF tropical medicine adviser, said in a written statement, CNN reported. "Specialized staff are providing care to patients showing signs of infection."
