Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo are using anonymized mobile-phone data to track population movements and identify areas at risk of further Ebola infections.

The World Health Organisation said the approach is being used for the first time in an Ebola response, as the outbreak has spread to six provinces, infecting more than 6,250 people and killing over 3,000 since May.

Researchers say the data can help identify distant communities linked by travel, allowing authorities to target limited surveillance and response resources more effectively.