At least 118 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 390 cases suspected, local officials have said.

🌐 Here's What Happened

In addition to updating the death toll, a spokesman for the DR Congo government said cases were now being reported over a wider area.

There are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda, says the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak of the current strain of Ebola, which is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, an international emergency.

📌 Key Details

As this deadly Ebola outbreak continues to spread, the Congolese government has sought to reassure people that its response teams are working hard to trace and investigate suspected infections - and that there is no need for panic.

However, with cases now identified in new areas including Nyakunde in Ituri Province, Butembo in North Kivu, and the city of Goma, concern is inevitably growing.

An American doctor in the DR Congo is among those with a confirmed case, the medical missionary group they were working with and the CDC has said.

The individual will now be taken to Germany for treatment, they told CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

While the CDC did not name the American working in the country, medical missionary group Serge said one of its US doctors, Peter Stafford, had tested positive for Ebola.

Two others doctors from the group who were exposed while treating patients, including Stafford's wife, Dr Rebekah Stafford, did not have symptoms and were following quarantine protocols, the group said in a statement.

📰 Source: BBC Africa