Confirmed Ebola cases in Democratic Republic of Congo rise to 1,963

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 1,963, with 719 deaths reported, authorities said on Tuesday, as the country continues to battle one of its worst outbreaks of the deadly virus.

WHO's head of emergencies, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said on Monday that the organization's analyses indicate that "the scale of the outbreak is at least two to four times larger than the number of cases we have identified."

The outbreak in Congo-Kinshasa started in May and has affected four provinces. The hardest hit is Ituri province in the northeast of the country.