France, July 23 -- Fifty new Ebola cases were detected on Monday in the eastern DRC provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, the country's public health institute said in its latest report, as the outbreak declared in May continues to accelerate.

In all, 2,536 cases of the deadly virus have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo since May, along with 1,001 deaths, plus two deaths registered in neighbouring Uganda, according to a World Health Organization overview based on official data from the two countries.

The DRC's 17th Ebola outbreak was declared on 15 May after several deaths in Ituri, and has remained concentrated in the mineral-rich northeastern province, which is plagued by fighting between armed groups.

A toll on childr...