FREETOWN, Sierra Leone: Officials in Sierra Leone say there’s now a second case of Ebola in the country since health authorities had declared an end to the epidemic.

The first new case in Sierra Leone emerged earlier this month one day after the World Health Organization said Ebola virus transmission had ended in the region after more than 11,000 deaths.

Health Ministry spokesman Sidi Yaya Tunis announced Thursday that the second case is a close relative of the 22-year-old who died of Ebola earlier this month.

The new patient had been under quarantine and is one of 150 contacts who are being monitored by health officials.

Family members of the first victim prepared her body for her funeral, put themselves at high risk for contracting the virus.

The global vaccine alliance GAVI said on Wednesday it will donate $5 million toward developing the leading Ebola vaccine, hoping that it will be approved by a regulator by the end of 2017.

If the vaccine is given the green light, GAVI says it will then create a stockpile to help stamp out future outbreaks of the lethal disease. The vaccine’s producer, Merck & Co. Inc., says it will ensure that 300,000 doses are available from May for use in advanced trials and emergency use.

In a statement on Wednesday, GAVI CEO Dr. Seth Berkley said “the world is still worryingly underprepared for potential future health threats.”

In 2014 — during the biggest-ever outbreak of Ebola — GAVI pledged to spend $300 million to buy Ebola vaccines for poor countries.