By ARNALDO VIEIRA

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Angolan authorities have shut the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Malanje Province to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus, media confirmed.

Malanje Province is located 383km northeast of Luanda and is a major point of interaction between Angolans and the Congolese.

According to VOA Radio, the border points on the Angolan side would have 12 police officers, 12 immigration personnel, four nurses and four firefighters and civil protection services officials to ensure the Ebola virus was not allowed in.

Veterinary officials

Four officers of the Angolan Forests Development Institute and two veterinary officials have also been deployed to monitor the transfer of water and animal products across the border, according to VOA Radio.

DRC health officials on Saturday said they had detected five fresh suspected cases of Ebola following the outbreak in the northwest of the country.

Three new cases were recorded in the Bikoro area and two in Wangata, the DRC Health ministry said in a statement.

Vast country

Both regions lie in the northwestern Equateur Province.

DR Congo and the UN World Health Organisation were rushing to contain the outbreak that has affected more than 50 people in recent weeks, with 25 dead.

The outbreak was first declared on May 8 in Bikoro, a remote area in the vast country.