The Democratic Republic of Congo is still struggling to contain its latest Ebola outbreak, with North Kivu emerging as a major hotspot even as infections appear to be slowing in some parts of the country.
The World Health Organization said Tuesday that new cases and deaths in North Kivu had doubled over the past two weeks, showing that the outbreak remains active despite signs of progress elsewhere.
The warning came after the DRC government indicated over the weekend that the outbreak could have reached its peak in August. However, the WHO said the national picture did not tell the full story, as some areas were still recording a rise in infections.
Olivier le Polain, head of the WHO's epidemiology and analytics response unit, said 7,200 cases and 3,475 deaths had been recorded in seven provinces as of September 12.
"We are seeing some progress, particularly in Ituri province and its capital Bunia, some areas are under control," le Polain told a Geneva press conference.
"However, there are other areas like in Butembo in North Kivu where we're seeing the numbers come up."
North Kivu accounted for about 45 percent of the new cases reported across the country last week, placing the province among the main areas where Ebola transmission remains high.
Le Polain said both new infections and deaths recorded each week in the province had doubled during the previous two weeks.
The WHO expert described the outbreak as a "vast" one, with health authorities still facing transmission in several areas.
There have, however, been signs of improvement in parts of Ituri, where the spread of the virus has started to slow. The province was the starting point of the DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak when the disease was first detected in May.
The situation has also improved in South Kivu, where no new Ebola case has been reported since the end of May.
Despite those gains, the outbreak has expanded to seven provinces following the detection of a case in South Ubangi.
Upper Uele is another area where the virus continues to spread, with between 30 and 40 new cases being reported every week, according to le Polain.
The WHO said the mixed picture across the affected provinces meant the outbreak could not yet be considered under control.
Le Polain said the available indicators were still not showing the level of improvement that the WHO and other organisations involved in the response had been hoping to see.