Ebola killed more than 2,200 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 2018-2020 before the epidemic was declared 'over' by the country's health ministry and the World Health Organization.

There have been 11 outbreaks of the virus in the country since it was first discovered near the Ebola river in 1976.

Following the burial, eight people showed symptoms of the virus, including diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. Three of the individuals died, while four others have been hospitalized. Keita said that one of the patients had “escaped” from where he was being treated but was later located and taken to a hospital in the capital, Conakry. The outbreak occurred in the southeast region of Nzerekore.

Health Minister Remy Lamah said that the government was “really concerned” about the new Ebola deaths. Guinea has not recorded a fatality from Ebola since 2016, when the virus ripped through the country and the surrounding region, killing more than 11,000 over a three-year period.