WHO warns Ebola spreading rapidly in DR Congo

And surveillance teams were now investigating nearly 400 alerts and were capable of administering more than 2,000 tests a day, she added.

Belizaire also highlighted that efforts to trace contacts of known Ebola cases had ramped up, with 75 percent of all contacts now being reached.

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The WHO has said 95 percent of contacts must be traced to get on top of the outbreak.

Belizaire said some people falling ill were staying at home, then going to traditional healers, before finally going to healthcare centres, delaying access to treatment.

In the DRC, 78 people have recovered after contracting Ebola, which she called a “powerful reminder that a timely diagnosis, access to quality healthcare can save lives”.

Belizaire said health workers were hit hard in the early stages of the epidemic.

So far, 75 healthcare workers have been infected with Ebola, of whom 17 have died, she said.

“In DRC, as we are seeing a large community outbreak, we cannot say for sure they have been infected in a health facility,” she added.

“It is a really high price that the healthcare system is paying.”

Belizaire said a Chinese medical team had arrived in the capital Kinshasa and would be heading to Bunia.

In neighboring Uganda, the only other country hit, there have been 19 confirmed cases including two deaths, and 10 recovered patients.

Uganda has reported no new cases for 12 days.

Meanwhile the UN migration agency said it had done more than a million health screenings at borders and on travel corridors as part of surveillance measures aimed at detecting potential cases.

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