Congo's Ebola outbreak now second largest on record, data shows

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo has surpassed the 2018-20 outbreak in total cases, with 3,532 reported cases and 1,556 deaths, according to government data.

The Ebola outbreak is the second largest on record globally, government ‌data showed on Friday, as transmission continues ‌to outpace efforts to contain the disease. Congo reported 3,532 cases on Friday, ⁠surpassing ​the total ⁠3,481 cases recorded during the 2018-20 outbreak. ⁠Total deaths stood at 1,556, the Central ​African country's communications ministry said on ⁠X. Only West Africa's 2014-16 outbreak was ⁠larger, ​with 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths recorded across Guinea, Liberia ⁠and Sierra Leone, according to the World ⁠Health ⁠Organization. (Additional reporting by Fiston Mahamba and Anait Miridzhanian; Editing ‌by ‌Alexander Winning and ​Jessica Donati)