At least 131 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 513 suspected cases, according to the BBC.

A spokesperson for the DR Congo government said cases are now being reported across a wider area.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Uganda has also confirmed two Ebola cases and one death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the current Ebola strain outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, an international public health emergency.

As the deadly outbreak continues to spread, the Congolese government is attempting to reassure the public, saying response teams are actively tracing and investigating suspected infections and that there is no need for panic.

However, concern is growing as new cases have been identified in Nyakunde in Ituri Province, Butembo in North Kivu, and the city of Goma.

An American doctor working in DR Congo is among the confirmed Ebola cases, according to a medical missionary organization and the CDC.

CBS News reported that the patient will be transferred to Germany for treatment.

Although the CDC did not identify the American citizen, the medical missionary group Serge said that one of its US doctors, Peter Stafford, tested positive for Ebola.

Two other doctors from the organization who were exposed while treating patients — including Stafford’s wife, Dr. Rebekah Stafford — have shown no symptoms and are following quarantine protocols.

CBS News, citing sources, also reported that at least six Americans may have been exposed to the Ebola virus during the outbreak in DR Congo.

The CDC said it is assisting in the “safe withdrawal of a small number of Americans directly affected,” but did not specify how many people were involved.

Reports say US authorities are considering transporting the group of Americans from DR Congo to a secure quarantine location. According to STAT, they could be taken to a US military base in Germany, although this has not been officially confirmed.

During the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa — the largest since the virus was first discovered in 1976 — more than 28,600 people were infected.

The disease spread to several countries in and beyond West Africa, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Italy, killing 11,325 people.