In August, Sierra Leone’s final recognized Ebola affected person was launched from hospital after recovering from the illness, a milestone that allowed the West African nation to start a 42-day countdown towards being declared freed from Ebola transmission.

According to reports from BBC’s Umaru Fofana in Freetown, Sierra Leone, a 16-year-old girl has been diagnosed with the deadly Ebola virus in northern Sierra Leone’s Bomabli district, which had gone for 169 days without a case.

Makeni is located in Bombali province, bordering Guinea.

A swab from her body tested positive for Ebola, but the source of the infection is unknown, the statement said.

But less than a week later officials confirmed a new death in the northern Kambia district.

NERC described the case as “disappointing” but said response teams had been well prepared for coping with such an event.

The girl had reported symptoms last Tuesday but was not hospitalised until Saturday, residents told AFP.

The village where she died has been placed under quarantine.

The worst outbreak of Ebola on record has killed more than 11,000 people in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia since it began in December 2013.

The World Health Organization, hoping for full eradication of the epidemic by the end of the year, is entering “Phase 3” with the three governments, mainly concerned with stamping out “residual risks” – such as that survivors can still harbour the virus.