GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization's regional director for Africa says the agency is accelerating efforts with nine countries neighboring Congo to try to prevent the spread of the current Ebola outbreak beyond its borders.

Matshidiso Moeti says teams are being deployed to assess preparedness and "immediate next steps" include boosting capacity-building, training and resource mobilization.

The top two priority countries are Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, near the epicenter of the outbreak. In the Republic of Congo, for example, WHO is working with government officials "to stop functioning" an active market on its side of the Congo River.

Moeti told a World Health Assembly session Wednesday the nine countries "have already initiated their readiness activities." The others are Angola, Burundi, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia.