The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has confirmed 1,307 Ebola cases, including 377 deaths, according to an update issued late on Monday.

The confirmed cases have been recorded in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.

The announcement came as AFP reported that a case had also been detected in a fourth province. A source at the DRC's National Institute of Biomedical Research said the virus had spread to Haut-Uele, which borders South Sudan and the Central African Republic.

According to the source, the case was identified after an infected person travelled from Bunia, the capital of Ituri, to Haut-Uele. Another health source said the individual has since died.

Authorities are tracing the chain of transmission and identifying people who may have been in contact with the infected person.

The spread to Haut-Uele means the DRC's entire northeastern region, home to around 15 million people, is now affected.

Ituri remains the epicentre of the country's 17th Ebola outbreak, which began in May. Health officials say many infections have occurred during funerals, where the bodies of Ebola victims are handled.

Aid workers have faced challenges in organising safe burials due to mistrust among local communities. In many parts of the DRC, funerals traditionally last several days, during which family members and friends come into direct contact with the deceased.