Health officials turn to mobile-phone data to track Ebola spread Anonymised phone data used to track population movements. Africa 17 min ago

What you need to know: WHO has said Congo Ebola outbreak is fastest on recordAnonymised phone data used to track population movementsAnalysis can help predict where cases could emerge nextMore than 6,250 people infected and 3,039 dead in outbreak Health officials battling the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are using anonymised mobile-phone data to map population movements and identify areas where the virus could spread next, according to the World Health Organization and researchers working with it."By mid-June, the data showed the risk was significant and that the outbreak could spread there faster than we initially thought.

Supporting the response As the virus spread beyond its initial epicentre, Flowminder expanded the analysis to additional affected areas, examining where people leaving those hotspots were most likely to travel.