The World Health Organization warned on Tuesday that an Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed more than 500 people and continues to spread across a wider area.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, United Nations News reported. Eastern DRC has been the center of the crisis, and the WHO said the geographic reach of the outbreak is still growing, with no sign that transmission has been contained.
Health authorities are working to accelerate testing capacity so that cases can be identified more quickly, the UN News report said. Efforts to identify treatment options that work against the Bundibugyo strain are also continuing in parallel.
The WHO, which is the body coordinating the international response, did not specify which provinces or districts in eastern DRC have been newly affected. The death toll passing 500 marks a significant expansion of the crisis since earlier phases of the outbreak, and testing and treatment programs remain works in progress as the virus continues to move into new areas.