Ebola death toll in DR Congo hits 600

The government of Congo has announced that the death toll from the latest Ebola outbreak has reached 600.

New suspected cases of Ebola have been reported in areas of Congo that were not affected before, according to the government.

The latest report, released late Wednesday, mentioned two new suspected cases in Kisangani, located in Tshopo province, where no cases had been reported before.

"The total number of confirmed cases across the country has now reached 1,759."

One of the suspected cases is linked to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri province, where the first cases were recorded. The other case "has no apparent geographical connection to known outbreaks."

Authorities are still looking into the situation, the report said.

The Congolese authorities declared a new Ebola outbreak on May 15. This came after the disease had spread for weeks without being officially detected, according to the World Health Organisation.

The latest outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.

Earlier clinical trials for treatment started after researchers launched an important study aimed at tackling the virus.

Efforts to control the virus have also faced setbacks due to a lack of funding, attacks on health centers, and ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, which is the center of the outbreak.