Kinshasa, Sep 22 (IANS): The Ebola virus disease outbreak in Equateur province in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is being brought under control, an official statement citing Health Minister Felix Kabange said.

"DR Congo authorities and their partners have managed to contain the epidemic in the zone where it was initially declared, hence reducing the rate of contamination," the statement issued Sunday said, adding that "according to the country's health ministry, the disease was being brought under control".

It said by Sep 17, DRC had registered 71 Ebola cases with 40 deaths, Xinhua reported.

It further noted that in the last 10 days, no new Ebola case has been reported.

The health minister thanked the people for following instructions and recommendations from health experts involved in the fight against Ebola.

On Saturday, the Congolese cabinet decided to send more support to increase efficiency of medical teams on the ground.