Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have declared a new outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has claimed 15 lives since late August, the country’s health minister announced on Thursday.

The outbreak is in central Kasai Province, Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told reporters in Kinshasa. The last recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC occurred three years ago, leaving six people dead.

According to provisional figures, 28 suspected cases have been identified in Kasai, with the first reported on August 20 in a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was admitted to hospital. “It’s the 16th outbreak recorded in our country,” Kamba said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that case numbers could rise. A team of WHO experts has joined local health authorities in Kasai to contain the spread.

The DRC has stockpiled treatments and 2,000 doses of vaccines for the Zaire strain of Ebola, which has been identified as the cause of the outbreak. These will be transferred from Kinshasa to Kasai for deployment.

“We’re acting with determination to rapidly halt the spread of the virus and protect communities,” said WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi.

Ebola, first identified in 1976, is believed to originate from bats and spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids. The disease causes severe bleeding, organ failure, and often death.

Between 2018 and 2020, the DRC experienced its deadliest Ebola outbreak, which killed nearly 2,300 people.

“Fortunately we have a vaccine for this Zaire strain, but to deploy it we need to ensure the logistics,” Kamba noted.

The vast nation — four times the size of France with a population of over 100 million — faces major challenges in its Ebola response due to poor infrastructure and weak communication networks.