A deadly Ebola outbreak has sparked global panic amid fears the killer virus could spiral into a another pandemic.

Health experts are racing against the clock as infections have more than doubled in just a week, with at least 16 dead - including four health workers - in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in central Africa. Now, emergency mass vaccinations are underway in the hard-hit Kasai province, where the virus is tearing through communities and threatening to spread further.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that 400 doses of the Ervebo jab, an FDA-approved Ebola vaccine given only during outbreaks, have already been dispatched to the town of Bulape, now considered a virus hotspot.

Another 45,000 doses are set to follow as terrified locals are placed into lockdown and border checkpoints are set up to stop the spread.

Francois Mingambengele, a local official, issued a stark warning, saying bluntly: "It's a crisis - and cases are multiplying."

The WHO said this outbreak is being driven by the Zaire ebolavirus, which is the deadliest of all Ebola strains and can kill up to 90% of patients if left untreated.

A 34-year-old pregnant woman who turned up at a local hospital on August 20 with a high fever, bloody stool and severe bleeding is thought to be the first case.

She tragically died just five days later from organ failure, with tests later confirming Ebola.

Symptoms of the virus are horrific, ranging from fever, vomiting and diarrhoea to unexplained bleeding from the eyes and gums, and the virus is known to shut down organs in days.

The WHO says new shipments of life-saving Mab114 therapy drugs - branded as Ebanga - are being rushed in and two FDA-approved treatments now in use: Ebanga and Inmazeb.

This latest outbreak is the 16th in Congo and the seventh in the Kasai region alone. Previous outbreaks in 2018 and 2020 each killed over 1,000 people.

The deadliest Ebola outbreak in history was in West Africa from 2014 to 2016 and saw more than 28,000 people infected and an excess of 11,000 deaths.

Officials are now watching nervously from around the world. Earlier this year, the US had a major scare when two people who had recently travelled from Uganda were rushed to hospital in New York after showing Ebola symptoms - they later tested negative.

Experts believe that Ebola jumps from bats or primates to humans, and the virus spreads like wildfire through blood, sweat, vomit and even contaminated objects.

Officials are urging the public not to panic but with Ebola's brutal track record and mortality rates as high as 90%, some are fearing the worst.

Deadly disease pandemic 'crisis' as towns locked down and mass vaccinations underway - Daily Star