The World Health Organization (WHO) has said a new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed 131 people, may have spread to more areas than initially believed.
Dr Anne Ancia, a WHO representative, told the BBC that as researchers and health authorities continue to reassess the spread of the disease, there are increasing indications that the outbreak may have reached several other parts of DR Congo. By Tuesday, 513 suspected cases had been recorded in DR Congo, while one death has also been confirmed in Uganda.
However, the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis said on Monday that there are signs suggesting the number of infected people could exceed 1,000.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has recently said the outbreak is a global concern, adding that he is particularly worried about its speed and pattern of spread.
There are also concerns that the disease may have been circulating for several weeks before it was first detected on 24 April in Bunia, in Ituri province.
The new strain of the virus, named Bundibugyo, currently has no vaccine. The WHO is assessing whether existing treatments could be effective in preventing or treating the disease.
