The media pointed to the unexpectedly rapid spread of the new Ebola outbreak

The new Ebola outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda may be spreading much faster than previously thought. This was reported on May 19 by the British television channel BBC.

"In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 131 people have died from the virus, and more than 513 cases of infection are suspected in the country, according to officials. One person died in neighboring Uganda," the article says.

However, experts from the British Medical Research Council (MRC), having modeled the situation, estimated that there could be more than 1,000 infected people. They suggested that doctors may not have been able to track a "significant portion" of the cases.

WHO spokeswoman Anne-Marie Anchia told the BBC that the epicenter of the outbreak, the Congolese province of Ituri, is an unsafe area where the population is "significantly mobile," complicating experts' efforts to track and control the fever.

"The more we investigate this outbreak, the more we realize that it has already spread across the border and into other provinces," Anchia said.

WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak in Africa an emergency of international importance. What you need to know

On May 15, WHO declared the Ebola epidemic in the DRC and Uganda an international emergency. Representatives of Rospotrebnadzor reported that there is currently no risk of Ebola spreading in Russia. On May 19, the press service of the Russian Union of Travel Industry also clarified that the outbreak of Ebola in the DRC does not affect mass tourist routes popular with Russian travelers.

WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the same time that the level at which Ebola is spreading is a cause for concern. There are more than 500 known cases of suspected Ebola. Another 130 deaths may also be related to this diagnosis.