An Ebola outbreak has been declared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after 20 people died from the disease.

Health officials highlighted the towns of Bulape and Mweka in the Kasai Province as hotspots, with at least 58 suspected cases having been reported.

In Wednesday, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a US Government agency, announced a level 1 travel alert, advising US citizens to take precautions if travelling to the DRC.

According to the CDC, four healthcare workers are among those who have died from the disease.

PICTURED: Healthcare workers carry a coffin with a baby, suspected of dying from Ebola in 2018

However it added that risk of infection in the US is low as no cases have been reported outside the DRC.

It is the first outbreak of Ebola in the country in three years, and the first time it has broken out in the Kasai province since 2008.

Residents in the province have been placed under confinement, and multiple checkpoints have been erected to prevent residents moving in and out of the area.

The administrator of the Mweka region, which includes Bulape, Francois Mingambengele, said: "The problem is that we are afraid that the movement of people from Bulape could lead to contamination in other communities.

"Some are going into the bush to hide. It's a crisis, and cases are multiplying."

It is the first outbreak of Ebola in the DRC in three years

Last week, the World Health Organisation said the DRC had a stockpile of treatments for the disease, as well as 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine.

It is understood these doses will be taken to Kasai in order to vaccinate front-line health workers.

Teams from health charity Doctors Without Borders have also been mobilised to supply essential medication and staff training to the area.

But poor road conditions, a lack of a cargo airport in the region, and limited electricity has complicated the process.

Last week, the World Health Organisation said the DRC had 2,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine

Brice de le Vingne, emergency coordinator for the organisation, said: "Our teams began supporting the General Referral Hospital in Bulape almost immediately.

"We helped reinforce triage protocols, supplies, essential medicines and personal protective equipment, and conducted training in infection prevention and control and symptomatic care."

Ebola is a highly infectious disease which in past outbreaks has killed up to 90 per cent of those who contracted it.

It is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person or animal.