Around two thirds of people infected in the Ebola outbreak have died, but people do not tend to become sick a second time after they have recovered.
The rare occurrence was seen in the UK when Scottish nurse Pauline Cafferkey, who helped to tackle the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, relapsed after recovering from the illness.
Spread of the virus in the Congo has slowed down in recent months, with just 11 new cases recorded last week down from weekly tolls of more than 100 in the spring.
But the relapse has sparked fears returning infections may keep the outbreak rumbling on and make it even harder to control.
The Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo had, as of Wednesday December 18, infected 3,356 people and killed 2,220, making it the second-worst on record.
In early December, Congolese health authorities reported that a survivor in Mabalako, North Kivu province, had fallen ill with the virus again.
No details about the patient, other than their location, have been revealed.
Preliminary tests have since classified it as a relapse, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a weekly report.
Source: Daily Mail Online
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