The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has confirmed its first cases of Ebola, becoming the fifth African nation to confirm cases of the deadly outbreak.

"After analyzing eight samples taken in the field, the National Institute of Biomedical Research has just confirmed that two of those samples test positive for Ebola," the country’s Health Minister Felix Kabange Numbi said on Sunday.

This is the seventh outbreak of Ebola in the country, the minister added.

"The experience gained during the six past Ebola epidemics will be put to use to contain the illness."

The deadly disease was first discovered near the Ebola River in the DCR in 1976.

Earlier in the day, the World Health Organization (WHO) said one of its experts -- an epidemiologist -- who was sent to West Africa to battle the epidemic tested positive for the virus.

According to the WHO, Ebola has so far killed 1,427 people in West Africa. It has mainly affected Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, with Liberia reporting most deaths among the other countries.

Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding.

The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

It remains one of the world’s most virulent diseases, which kills between 25 to 90 percent of those who fall sick.