BAMAKO, Mali -- Mali has confirmed a new case of Ebola and identified two new suspected cases, raising concern about further spread of the disease which has already killed at least five people in the country.

In a statement distributed Saturday, the government said the latest patient had been placed in an isolation centre for treatment. The statement provided no details on the patient or the two new suspected cases that were being tested.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Friday that the current chain of transmission was "a cause of deep concern."

The Mali government said it is monitoring 310 people to limit the spread of the disease.

The World Health Organization says more than 5,400 people have died in the current outbreak, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.