The case was identified in the eastern province of North Kivu after samples from a 46-year-old woman tested positive after she died on August 15.
“The analysis showed that this case was genetically linked to the 2018-2020 outbreaks in North Kivu and Ituri provinces—the longest and largest in the country,” the statement said. Scientists say the virus can be present in the central nervous system and bodily fluids of survivors and flare up much later.
“The Ebola resurgence is occurring with greater frequency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is concerning,” Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said in the statement. However, she expressed confidence in local health officials to contain the virus and prevent flare-ups, as they have done several times in the past.
Contact tracing and surveillance are underway, and two hundred vaccinations will be sent to the region this week to launch a vaccination campaign to contain the spread, the statement said.
It added that health officials are still determining the immunization status of the deceased woman.
At least 131 contacts of the woman have been identified, including 60 front-line health workers, of whom 59 have been vaccinated against Ebola, the statement said.
The dense tropical forests of Congo are a natural reservoir for the Ebola virus, which causes fever, body aches and diarrhea.
The country has recorded 14 outbreaks since 1976. In the past the 2018-2020 outbreak was Congo’s largest and second largest ever recorded, with nearly 3,500 total cases.