The Democratic Republic of Congo's latest Ebola outbreak has continued to worsen, with the reported death toll reaching 600 and new suspected cases emerging outside the outbreak's original epicentre in Ituri province.

According to the country's health ministry, suspected infections have now been identified in Tshopo and Haut-Uele provinces, raising concerns that the virus is spreading into previously unaffected areas.

Two suspected cases were reported in Kisangani, with one linked to the Nia-Nia health zone in Ituri and another having no obvious connection to known outbreaks, prompting further investigation by health authorities.The outbreak, officially declared on 15 May after weeks of undetected transmission, has resulted in 1,759 confirmed cases nationwide.It is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a rare variant for which there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment.Researchers have recently begun clinical trials aimed at identifying effective therapies for the disease.The response has also faced operational challenges.Ebola response workers staged protests outside several treatment centres in Bunia, claiming they had not received all of the wages owed to them.While police dispersed one demonstration, authorities said discussions with workers were continuing and no strike action had commenced.Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba acknowledged shortcomings in the management of staff payment records.

Efforts to contain the outbreak have also been complicated by funding shortages, attacks on healthcare facilities and the ongoing armed conflict in eastern DR Congo, all of which have made disease surveillance, treatment and community outreach significantly more difficult.