ACCRA, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Ghana is on high alert following the outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a senior official said on Thursday.

Anthony Nsiah-Asare, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said Ghana is putting all its surveillance in place and advised the public to intensify preventive measures against the virus.

"We are also on a high alert; the ports, border officers as well as all the districts have been alerted to look out for the signs and symptoms of the virus," he told local media, while confirming receipt of alert from the World Health Organization (WHO).

He said his unit will continue to educate the public about the early signs of the disease.

A new outbreak of the EVD was declared on Tuesday by the DRC government, after two samples had been tested positive for EVD in Bikoro, Equateur Province.

DRC authorities said that the provincial health division of Equateur reported at the central level of the Ministry of Health on May 3, 21 cases of fever with signs and 17 deaths in the Ikoko Impenge health area located in the province.

With this reappearance of the Ebola outbreak, the DRC is at its ninth Ebola outbreak since 1976.

The last outbreak recorded by the country took place in May 2017 in the northern province of Bas-Uele which killed four people.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola is passed onto human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals.