Kinshasa: The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Health has confirmed an Ebola outbreak in several eastern parts of the country. In a statement, the ministry said surveillance and epidemiological investigations had confirmed the spread of the virus in a number of eastern provinces. Medical teams are working to prevent further transmission in the affected areas and are racing to contain the outbreak through intensive vaccination campaigns targeting local residents, the ministry added.

According to Emirates News Agency, the Congo’s fast-spreading Ebola outbreak is now the world’s second-largest on record, as government data showed on Friday. The transmission continues to outpace efforts to contain the epidemic. The number of cases reported across Congo has risen to 3,532, the Communications Ministry said in a statement, with 1,556 deaths recorded.

“It’s the fastest-spreading Ebola epidemic that we have ever seen,” Carl Skau, Acting Head of the UN World Food Programme, said this week. “The world needs to pay much more attention.”