Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo have started tracing those who came in contact with a patient who died from Ebola.

The 42-year-old woman died last Wednesday in North-Kivu province just two days after developing symptoms of the disease.

A team of epidemiologists are on the ground investigating the case and authorities have announced that the disinfection of the sites visited by the patient was underway.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has already identified more than 70 contact cases of the disease.

The country had three months ago declared the end of its 11th Ebola outbreak that killed 55 people

Health Minister, Eteni Longondo, says doctors are determining whether the latest cases are from a new strain of the disease.

He also called for calm in the affected community.

The 10th Ebola epidemic, and the deadliest to hit the country, killed more than 2,200 people between August 2018 and June 2020.

What is Ebola?

Ebola is a virus that initially causes sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat
It progresses to vomiting, diarrhoea and both internal and external bleeding

People are infected when they have direct contact through broken skin, or the mouth and nose, with the blood, vomit, faeces or bodily fluids of someone with Ebola

Patients tend to die from dehydration and multiple organ failure.