GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP)—The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has now claimed 600 lives, figures published by the World Health Organization showed Thursday — only three days after the figure topped 500.

Updated numbers issued by the UN health agency showed there have been 1,759 confirmed cases in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, including 600 confirmed deaths.

Two other people have died in neighbouring Uganda, where 17 patients have recovered out of 20 total confirmed cases.

“The outbreak continues to expand, and its true scale has not yet been fully established,” Anne Ancia, the WHO’s representative in the DRC, said Tuesday.

The WHO’s figures for the DRC, which come from the health authorities in the vast country, show that the outbreak there has a case fatality rate of 34 per cent.

A total of 285 patients in the DRC have recovered, while 304 suspected cases of the viral haemorrhagic fever are under investigation.

The outbreak in northeastern DRC has hit four provinces but is focused on Ituri province.

The outbreak is being driven by the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.

The trial of two potential treatments for Bundibugyo began in the DRC on July 2.

The trial is evaluating the effectiveness of the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir, alone and in combination.

Ebola spreads through close contact and infected bodily fluids.

– Outbreak in ‘expansion phase’ –

The DRC’s 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15 after several deaths in mineral-rich Ituri province, which is plagued by armed groups.

“It is still in the expansion phase, unfortunately. We would like to say it is stabilising, but frankly we cannot say it yet,” Ancia told a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

“Transmission is still ongoing.”

Speaking from Bunia, the capital of Ituri, she said the fight against the outbreak was facing major challenges.

“Population movements, persistent insecurity, and the fragility of the health system continue to complicate efforts to bring the outbreak under control,” she said.

“Humanitarian needs remain substantial, particularly regarding civilian protection, access to food, and essential health services, while other diseases such as malaria and measles continue to spread.”

She said there were now around 700 beds across 22 treatment centres, with efforts under way to add 300 more beds.

The centres are operating at around 90 per cent capacity, “placing significant pressure on the response,” said Ancia.

More than 10,000 contacts of infected people are being monitored, at a follow-up rate of 82 per cent. The WHO believes a rate of 95 per cent is needed to get on top of the outbreak.

Laboratory capacity has increased from 30 tests per day in the capital Kinshasa to more than 2,000 tests daily in decentralised labs in the affected provinces.

The WHO wants $115 million to strengthen its Ebola response, of which 32 per cent has been received to date.

One of the affected provinces is South Kivu, which has seen clashes between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group.

UN rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday called for an immediate end to the fighting, deploring its impact on civilians and saying there were growing fears that the increased clashes could force further displacement, including into other countries.