Ebola patient in DR Congo city of Goma has died

GOMA, DR Congo: The first patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in the eastern DR Congo city of Goma has died, the governor of North Kivu province said on Tuesday.

The case, the first in a major urban hub in the region´s nearly year-old epidemic of the disease, has sparked deep concern in neighbouring Rwanda and at the UN. France meanwhile appointed a top immunologist, Yves Levy, to spearhead its response to the outbreak.

"Unfortunately, I can confirm that the patient died," the governor of North Kivu, Carly Nzanzu, told reporters. The patient has been described as an evangelical preacher who had travelled from Goma to Butembo, one of the towns hardest hit by the outbreak. While there, he preached at seven churches and regularly touched worshippers, including the sick, before taking the bus back to Goma last Friday, the health ministry said.