( CNN ) -- The Ebola virus has killed 10 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo , the World Health Organization said Tuesday . As of Monday , WHO said , the deaths are among 13 probable and two confirmed Ebola cases reported in Orientale province in eastern Congo . The Congolese Ministry of Health has set up a task force to deal with the outbreak and is working with WHO , UNICEF , Doctors Without Borders and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Twelve cases and eight deaths occurred in the area of Isiro , a town in Congo 's north , WHO said . The fatalities included three health care workers . One death each occurred in Congo 's Pawa and Dungu regions . Prisoner with suspected case of Ebola escapes from hospital in Uganda . Congo 's Orientale province borders western Uganda , where 24 probable and confirmed cases , including 16 deaths , have been reported since the beginning of July . But WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told CNN that there 's no connection between the outbreaks in Uganda and Congo . The viruses , he said , are two different Ebola strains . There are five strains of the virus , a highly infectious and often fatal agent spread through direct contact with bodily fluids . And , Hartl said , it is extremely difficult to travel between Isiro , for example , and Kiballe , the western Ugandan district where an outbreak emerged last month . That 's because it is heavily forested with impassable roads , and the only viable way to travel is going 10 to 15 kilometers per hour via motorbike . So it is unlikely there would be contact between Ugandans and Congolese that would lead to infection . Could the Ebola outbreak spread to the U.S. ? The natural habitat of the Ebola virus is in the central African forest belt region , Hartl said . It 's `` either by chance '' or from `` more surveying '' for the disease , he said , that `` we see these two outbreaks concurrently . '' Health agencies have embarked on an aggressive approach in Uganda to deal with the cases . WHO has asked countries bordering Uganda to `` enhance surveillance '' for the virus . The last confirmed case in Uganda was admitted to an isolation facility on August 4 , WHO said . The virus was first detected in 1976 in Congo , when the country was known as Zaire . Symptoms can include fever , vomiting , diarrhea , abdominal pain , headache , a measles-like rash , red eyes and , at times , bleeding from body openings . What is the Ebola virus ?
Isiro spokesman says there 's no link between Congo , Congo outbreaks . The natural habitat of the virus is the central Ugandans forest belt . Most of the Uganda cases and deaths occurred in the WHO area . The virus is highly infectious and often fatal .