The World Health Organization has expressed concern over a rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, noting that the situation is worsening despite ongoing containment efforts.
Health officials say the response is being scaled up, but the spread of the virus continues to outpace control measures in several affected areas.
The outbreak was officially confirmed on May 15, although evidence suggests that transmission may have been occurring unnoticed before detection.
The current epidemic is linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which currently has no approved vaccine available for prevention.
Latest WHO data indicates that 896 confirmed cases have been recorded so far, along with 232 deaths linked to the disease.
Authorities also reported 21 new infections within a 24-hour period, highlighting continued active transmission.
Most cases remain concentrated in Ituri Province, which accounts for more than 90 percent of total infections and is also affected by ongoing insecurity.
The virus has also spread to neighbouring North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, raising concerns about further regional transmission.
Health response efforts have expanded significantly, with over 500 treatment beds now available, while surveillance teams are investigating hundreds of alerts and carrying out more than 2,000 tests daily.
Contact tracing has improved to reach about 75 percent of known contacts, while neighbouring Uganda, which has also been affected, reports 19 cases in total with no new infections recorded in recent days.