84 people have been killed and 471 infected in the outbreak of Ebola virus in central Africa, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The group says that 452 cases and 82 deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo while neighbouring Uganda has reported 19 cases and two deaths.
The report said that there were 100 new cases while 20 people died in a single day, which makes it a concern on how the outbreak is going to spread.
WHO has classified the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and advised that if action is not taken immediately it could escalate to become one of the biggest epidemics in history.
The current situation may also get out of hand and become a situation like the West Africa outbreak in 2014, where more than 28,000 cases and over 11,000 deaths were reported, warned experts from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Read more: Karachi airport begins Ebola screening ahead of return of Hajj pilgrims
It has been spread to more than 15,000 individuals over the last 50 years in Africa, and caused the deaths of many individuals, experts say infections spread through close contact with the person or body fluids of the person.
The initial case was reported on May 15 in northeastern Congo but worries exist that the outbreak could have been going undetected for some time. But currently there is no approved vaccine or therapy for this specific strain of the virus, experts say.
WHO and the Africa CDC have meanwhile announced a $518 million emergency response plan for the coming six months, which will focus on increasing surveillance and laboratory testing and infection prevention activities.
Also read: Emirates issues ebola travel advisory as UAE tightens entry and visa restrictions
