The rapid spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo has created a 'deeply alarming' situation, the medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has warned.

Speaking two weeks after the outbreak was declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), MSF deputy director Dr Alan Gonzales said never before had 'so many cases' been recorded so soon. His comments came as WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus visited the eastern Congolese province of Ituri, the worst-hit area.

There are now more than 1,000 suspected Ebola cases in the DR Congo, and at least 246 deaths. Neighbouring Uganda has reported nine confirmed cases and one death. Gonzales stressed that 'never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration' and that teams on the ground were 'witnessing a response that has not yet caught up to the rapid spread of the epidemic'.

The WHO has repeatedly warned that ongoing conflict in DR Congo was significantly hampering the Ebola outbreak response. Gonzales added that containment efforts and humanitarian aid deliveries were being delayed by 'major constraints', including border and airport closures.

After arriving in Bunia, Tedros urged communities to play a bigger role in fighting the disease, saying they 'understand the problems better and they know the solution as well'. He also warned that touching bodies of those who died from Ebola can spread the virus further, urging people to avoid such practices despite grieving.

The current outbreak, a rare strain of Ebola known as Bundibugyo, has no proven vaccine and kills about a third of those infected. In a separate development, health officials in Brazil said they were investigating a suspected Ebola case in a man who had recently returned from DR Congo.

Source: www.bbc.com