The country remains the epicentre of an outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease that was officially declared in mid-May. It began in the volatile eastern region and has now spread to eight provinces, the latest being Nord-Ubangi in the northwest.

As Ebola continues to spread in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), more resources are needed to fight the disease and feed patients and families, UN agencies said on Friday.

“If we lift the foot off the pedal, the virus will resurge very quickly, will continue to spread to newly affected areas and pose a threat to the country, the region and the world at large,” warned Dr Catherine Smallwood, World Health Organisation (WHO) incident manager in the DRC.