The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the number of Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could increase in the coming days and weeks following a resurgence of the disease in the country’s eastern region.

The WHO’s Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Dr Peter Salama, said about 20 deaths had so far been recorded in connection with the latest outbreak, although it was not immediately clear how many of the deaths involved confirmed or probable Ebola cases.

Speaking in Geneva, Salama said the rising number of cases was expected to continue based on the pattern typically observed during the early stages of Ebola outbreaks.

He also warned that containing the disease in eastern DRC would be particularly difficult because of persistent armed conflict, poor access to affected communities and significant logistical challenges.

According to him, the latest outbreak was detected in North Kivu province shortly after the WHO had declared an earlier Ebola outbreak in the country over.

Salama said the UN health agency had not been aware of the public health emergency in North Kivu when it announced the end of the previous outbreak about a week earlier.

The earlier outbreak, which occurred in western DRC in June, affected dozens of people and resulted in 33 deaths. Health authorities eventually brought it under control following a large-scale response involving both national and international partners.

However, the WHO official said there was currently no evidence connecting the western outbreak to the new cases in North Kivu, although both outbreaks were believed to involve the Zaire strain of the Ebola virus.

Salama said the latest outbreak was first flagged on July 25 after a woman who had initially recovered following hospital treatment developed a fever and other symptoms associated with Ebola after her discharge.

The woman subsequently died, while seven members of her immediate family reportedly contracted the disease, prompting further investigation and public health measures.

He noted that the security situation in eastern DRC was compounding efforts to contain the virus, with more than 100 armed groups operating across the wider Kivu region and other parts of the country.

Salama stressed that protecting vulnerable populations and mounting an effective response would therefore require overcoming significant security and logistical obstacles as health authorities work to prevent further transmission.