KINSHASA — The Democratic Republic of Congo's health ministry reported new Ebola cases Monday, prompting the World Health Organization to release doses from its emergency stockpile of the Ervebo vaccine and dispatch epidemiologists to affected districts. The outbreak is centred in the country's north-west.

Congo's Ministry of Public Health has activated ring-vaccination protocols targeting contacts of confirmed patients and frontline health workers. The confirmation of cases followed news that a US aid worker had tested positive.

The infection has drawn international attention to the response effort. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was coordinating with Congolese authorities and monitoring the health of aid staff operating in the region.

Ebola outbreaks in Congo have historically strained a fragile health system already contending with conflict and displacement in the east. A WHO spokesperson warned that the movement of people across porous borders raised the risk of regional spread, urging neighbouring states to strengthen surveillance at entry points.

The WHO said its teams were working to trace contacts and establish treatment centres, noting that early vaccination had proven effective in curbing transmission in previous outbreaks.