Ebola has been confirmed in Africa just four months after the end of the last outbreak.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sounded the alarm after a second person has died from the deadly disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
This is the 14th Ebola outbreak that the country has seen since 1976. In past outbreaks, fatality rates have varied from 25 percent to 90 percent – making it one of the most deadly diseases.
Ebola is transmitted by coming into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials. Symptoms include muscle aches and a fever, which resemble those seen in other common diseases such as malaria.
On Sunday, a 31-year-old patient died of the disease in the northwestern city of Mbandaka, according to the National Institute of Biomedical Research.
The man began showing symptoms on April 5 but did not seek treatment for more than a week.
He was taken to a special Ebola treatment centre on Thursday and died later that day, the World Health Organization confirmed.
It was confirmed that a second Ebola patient died in the northwestern Democratic Republic of Congo. Details of the second death are yet to be released.
The World Health Organisation's regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said: "Time is not on our side.
"The disease has had a two-week head start and we are now playing catch-up."
Officials have already introduced emergency measures to try and contain the latest outbreak. More than 70 contacts were made following the first death.
The health body said the next step will be to roll out more vaccinations.
The current Ebola outbreak is the 14th in the DRC since 1976 and the sixth since 2018.
Its last outbreak was declared on October 8 last year after a three-year-old boy fell ill, according to the WHO. He died two days prior the announcement after suffering from stomach pain, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite, dark stool and blood in his vomit.
Strides in medical advances have been made since the first outbreak in 1976, with effective treatments are now available. This is helping significantly improve survival rates.
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