The toll Monday increased from 22 to 32, and was likely to continue rising.

The new case was confirmed in Beni, a community that had been an epicenter of the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.

The patient was a priest who became infected during a visit to the town of Butembo, 200 km (124 miles) north of Goma, where he interacted with Ebola patients, Congo's health ministry said in a statement.