The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed a new case of Ebola, further thwarting its efforts to eradicate the disease.

Health Minister Eteni Longondo announced the new case on Monday, saying it was confirmed near Mbandaka in the western Equateur province, over 1,000 km away from the ongoing outbreak in the country’s east.

The DR Congo had hoped to achieve an Ebola Free status in April, but this did not happen after a new case was detected in the east.

The new case announced on Monday compounds health problems in the country which is already battling the COVID-19 pandemic and a measles outbreak.

World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom confirmed the new case, saying it is a “reminder that COVID-19 is not the only health threat people face.”

“WHO already has staff in Mbandaka supporting the new Ebola outbreak response,” Tedros wrote on Twitter.

Since the DR Congo Ebola outbreak was declared on 1 August 2018, more than 3,400 people were infected and over 2,200 lives lost.

In response to the Ebola outbreak, the DR Congo vaccinated over 290 000 people, with WHO reporting a 97.5% efficacy.