Democratic Republic of Congo declared a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus on Thursday, saying there were 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths.

It is Congo's 15th outbreak of the virus — three years after the last one.

Congo's health ministry said samples tested on Wednesday had confirmed the presence of the Zaire strain of the virus.

It said the initial signal for the outbreak came when a 34-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalised in Kasai province on August 20 with symptoms including high fever and vomiting.

It did not say whether the woman had died.

"To date, the provisional report shows 28 suspected cases and 15 deaths, including 14 in Boulapé and one in Mweka, as well as four healthcare workers," Congo's Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said.

The World Health Organization (WH

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