The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has risen to 2,536, including 1,033 deaths, according to government data released late Wednesday.

The country's public health institute said in its latest report that 63 new cases were detected on Tuesday in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and Haut-Uele in the east of the country.

Neighboring Uganda had announced two deaths and 20 infections, after authorities confirmed last week that the country was free of any active cases, according to a World Health Organization report dated July 20.

Over the past 50 years, the Ebola virus has killed more than 15,000 people on the African continent.