Geneva (AFP) — The World Health Organization (WHO) chief said Tuesday he was “deeply concerned” by an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which has spilt into Uganda, believed to have killed 131 people.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Sunday declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern — the second-highest level of alert under international health regulations.

“I did not do this lightly... I’m deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” he told the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

He added that he would convene the agency’s emergency committee later Tuesday “to advise us on temporary recommendations.”

The DRC’s health minister said the suspected toll from the outbreak declared late last week had risen to 131 deaths and 513 cases.

Tedros said that so far, 30 cases had been confirmed to be Ebola in the DRC’s northeastern Ituri province.

“Uganda has also informed WHO of two confirmed cases in the capital of Kampala, including one death among two individuals who travelled from DRC,” he told the WHO’s annual meeting of its decision-taking body.