KINSHASA -- The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has temporarily suspended all passenger flights to and from Bunia, the capital of the northeastern Ituri Province that is the epicenter of the ongoing Ebola outbreak, the Ministry of Transport said on Saturday.

An Ebola outbreak was declared in Ituri on May 15, with Bunia among the main affected areas. According to an official statement, no aircraft will be allowed to land at or take off from Bunia Airport until further notice.

The ministry said all commercial, private and special flights to and from Bunia have been suspended. However, humanitarian, medical and emergency flights may be authorized subject to approval from aviation and health authorities.

The outbreak has since spread to neighboring North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Uganda, which borders Ituri, has also reported confirmed cases.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Friday that the situation in the DRC is "deeply worrisome," citing 82 confirmed cases and seven confirmed deaths.

He added that the actual scale of the outbreak is believed to be significantly larger, with nearly 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths. "These numbers are changing as surveillance efforts and laboratory testing improve, but violence and insecurity are impeding the response," Tedros said in a social media post.

Uganda's Ministry of Health said Saturday that three new Ebola cases had been confirmed in the country, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to five.