THE number of suspected Ebola cases in Congo’s southern Kasai province have more than doubled in a week since a new outbreak was confirmed there, Africa’s top public health agency said on Thursday.

The suspected cases have increased from 28 to 68 in recent days, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said at an online briefing. It has also spread from two to four districts while the death toll currently stands at 16.

The outbreak was the first in Congo in three years and the province’s first in more than a decade.

Fighting in eastern Congo could complicate efforts to contain the disease, which can spread rapidly due to the proximity and density of villages and provinces, said Dr Ngashi Ngongo, a principal adviser with Africa CDC.

Dr Ngongo said: “It was two [districts], now it is four.”

The outbreak was announced a week ago after a pregnant woman was confirmed to have been infected in the locality of Bulape.

Local authorities in Kasai are trying to contain the outbreak. Public movements have been curtailed and checkpoints have been set up at the main entrances to Tshikapa, the capital of the province, authorities said.

Tshikapa resident Emmanuel Kalonji said some people had fled the villages before returning.

“However, given the limited resources, survival is not guaranteed,” he said.