Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola outbreak 'worst' in country's history

The latest outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the worst in the country's history, according to the country's health ministry.

A health worker outside an isolation ward to diagnose and treat suspected Ebola patients. Source: AAP

The death toll from an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to more than 200, the country's health ministry says.

The ministry said it had recorded 201 deaths from the virus and that 291 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak began in August.

About half of the cases were in Beni, a city of 800,000 people, in the North Kivu region. 

The UN's Department of Peacekeeping on Friday called on armed groups active in the region not to hinder efforts to fight the disease.

A health worker outside an isolation ward to diagnose and treat suspected Ebola patients. Source: AAP

Teams responsible for responding to the outbreak "have faced threats, physical assaults, repeated destruction of their equipment and kidnapping," Health Minister Oly Ilunga said on Friday.

"Two of our colleagues in the Rapid Response Medical Unit have even lost their lives in an attack," he said.

The outbreak is the tenth in DR Congo since Ebola was first detected there in 1976.

A WHO worker gives an Ebola vaccination to a front line aid worker who will then go to vaccinate locals. Source: AP

The current outbreak is the 10th, the country has suffered and the worst since the country's first epidemic in 1976.

Ebola is a serious infectious disease that can spread rapidly through small amounts of bodily fluid, causing internal bleeding and potentially death.

Since a vaccination programme began on August 8, more than 25,000 people have been innoculated, the health ministry said earlier this month.