The World Health Organization (WHO) and the African Union’s health agency have announced a $518m plan to combat the deadly Ebola outbreak in conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Uganda.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that the plan, in collaboration with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), will run from June to November. It will cover emergency coordination, surveillance, testing, infection prevention, clinical care and community engagement.

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The initiative comes as authorities race to contain the deadly virus, first declared in the DRC on May 15. It has since infected at least 452 people there, causing 82 deaths.

In its latest situation report, the DRC’s health ministry warned of “rapid and continuous community transmission”, with the latest 71 cases confirmed in just a 24-hour period.

The outbreak has also spread to Uganda, where authorities announced three more cases on Friday, increasing the total to 19, with two deaths.

The latest outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, which is believed to have been spreading under the radar for some time.