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The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has worsened in North Kivu despite improvements elsewhere.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) issued the warning on Tuesday.
WHO epidemiology and analytics response chief Olivier le Polain said authorities had recorded 7,200 cases and 3,475 deaths by September 12.
The cases have been recorded across seven provinces. Le Polain said some areas of Ituri province, including its capital Bunia, were showing signs of progress.
“We are seeing some progress, particularly in Ituri province and its capital Bunia, some areas are under control,” he said.
However, the situation remains serious in North Kivu.
“However, there are other areas like in Butembo in North Kivu where we’re seeing the numbers come up,” Le Polain said.
He said weekly new cases and deaths in North Kivu had doubled over the past two weeks. The province accounted for about 45 percent of all new cases recorded last week.
Le Polain described the outbreak as still “vast” despite signs of slower transmission in parts of Ituri.
The DRC recorded its 17th Ebola outbreak in May, with the first cases reported in Ituri. The WHO said it recorded no new cases in South Kivu since the end of May.
However, Ebola has now spread to South Ubangi province, bringing the total affected provinces to seven.
According to the WHO, Upper Uele province is also recording between 30 and 40 new cases each week.
The WHO said the latest figures showed that the outbreak had not yet improved enough.
Le Polain said current indicators were still below the level health agencies need to fight the outbreak.
The DRC government had suggested over the weekend that the outbreak may have peaked in August.
However, the WHO said the national figures could hide active hotspots that still require urgent response.
The outbreak has killed more than 3,400 people, making it the worst Ebola outbreak to hit the DRC.
