The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has spread to a sixth province in the northeast of the country raising fears of further transmission across the region.

It comes as experts describe the outbreak as the fastest spreading on record.

The deadly disease has claimed more than 2 100 lives out of 4 500 cases recorded since mid-May.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed a new case of Ebola in the DRC’s northeastern province of Bas-Uele.

The patient was a man who had travelled from a province affected by Ebola to Buta the provincial capital of Bas-Uele, where he later died.

His death brings the number of provinces that have recorded Ebola cases to six.

The epicentre of the outbreak is in the northeastern province of Ituri where insecurity and displacement have hampered the response effort.

Community mistrust and the refusal by some people to heed health guidelines have further complicated the problem.

Many deaths reported within communities suggest that some families may not be promptly reporting sick relatives to health officials.

The World Health Organisation is now calling for greater community engagement to build trust and find cases faster.

The global body says the Ebola outbreak in the DRC is on track to surpass the West African one that killed more than 11 000 people between 2014 and 2016.

The virus circulating in the DRC is driven by the Bundibugyo strain for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment.

Scientists in the United Kingdom and Canada are conducting clinical trials for vaccines that have shown promising signs of reducing deaths.

–SABC–