Ebola outbreak: Death toll breaches 1000-mark in DR Congo

Around 1,008 people have lost their lives due to Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the outbreak of the virus in August last year. Out of the 1510 cases registered in North Kivu and Ituri provinces of the country, as many as 400 have recovered.

Kinshasa (DR Congo): At least 1,008 people have lost their lives due to Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) since the outbreak of the virus in August last year, the country's health ministry confirmed.

Out of the 1510 cases registered in North Kivu and Ituri provinces of the country, as many as 400 have recovered, reported CNN.

With violent attacks on communities and medical centers, a "considerable" rise in Ebola cases has occurred over the past week in Congo, said the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"Since January, we've experienced 119 separate attacks, 42 of which have been directly on health facilities, with 85 health personnel either injured or killed in those settings," said Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO.

"We are anticipating a scenario of continued intense transmission," he added.

This is the world's second deadliest Ebola outbreak since the virus killed 11,000 people in West Africa in 2014.

Ebola first appeared in 1976 in Sudan, followed by DR Congo. The virus can be transmitted to humans from wild animals. Symptoms of the disease include fever, severe headache, and hemorrhaging.

In the 2014 outbreak, the virus infected approximately 28,600 people in the Western African countries of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.