Health officials in Angola said they have closed the nation's northern border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to prevent the spread the deadly Ebola virus.

In a statement Monday, Angolan Health Minister Jose Van-Dunem said the government has banned the movement of people and goods through the nation's northeastern province of Lunda Norte.

The province borders the DRC's Western Kasai province, where the World Health Organization (WHO) said at least 36 cases and 12 deaths from the deadly disease have been reported.

The Ebola virus causes a type of hemorrhagic fever that can cause bleeding from the eyes, ears and other parts of the body.  Death rates in Ebola outbreaks range from 50 to 90 percent.

The last major outbreak of Ebola in Congo occurred in 1995, killing some 250 people. 

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.