A “perfect storm” of climate change, population growth and poverty could push Ebola into previously untouched regions, experts have warned.

In a study published in Nature Communications journal, researchers used a statistical model to predict how increases in temperature and socio-economic development will affect the spread of Ebola over the next five decades.

They found that in a worst-case scenario, the area at risk of disease outbreaks could increase by 14.7 per cent, stretching beyond the current endemic zone of central Africa.

The study also found that human factors such as population growth, rising poverty levels and poor health infrastructure could cause a 50 per cent rise in the number of outbreaks.

Ebola was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo, then Zaire, in 1976 and since then there have been 23 recognised outbreaks – predominantly in central Africa, with 10 in the DRC alone.