KINSHASA — An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to a sixth province, the head of Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.

 

The outbreak, which began in the conflict-scarred northeastern province of Ituri, is spreading faster than any previous Ebola outbreak, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

 

The DRC declared its 17th outbreak on May 15 but it is thought to have already been spreading for several weeks.

 

It is already considered the largest in the vast central African country's history.

 

Until now, five Congolese provinces had recorded cases: Ituri, which borders Uganda and South Sudan, North Kivu and South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

 

A person has now died from the virus in northern Bas-Uele province after travelling from neighbouring Haut-Uele where Ebola cases have already been reported, Jean Kaseya told reporters.

 

The outbreak has already killed more than 2,128 people, out of 4,566 confirmed cases, according to the authorities.

 

The DRC's deadliest Ebola outbreak in 2018 to 2020 killed nearly 2,300 people out of 3,500 recorded cases.

 

Mercy Corps NGO warned on Thursday about the risk of the virus spreading to South Sudan, which borders both Ituri and Haut-Uele.

 

The WHO said on Wednesday it hoped to reverse the spread of Ebola in the DRC within three months, but warned the outbreak would not be over by then.

 

Ebola, which spreads through contact with bodily fluids and causes a haemorrhagic fever, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.