KINSHASA, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has become the largest ever recorded in the country, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Saturday.

As of Thursday, the DRC had reported 3,605 confirmed cases of Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus, including 1,587 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 44 percent, the WHO said in its latest disease outbreak report.

The previous largest outbreak, which struck the country's east between 2018 and 2020, recorded 3,317 confirmed cases.

The current outbreak, initially confined to the Mongbwalu health zone in the province of Ituri, has spread over the past two months to 49 health zones across five provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

The outbreak has also taken a growing toll on health workers, with 151 infections and 44 deaths reported so far, highlighting persistent gaps in infection prevention and control at health facilities, the WHO said.

The agency warned that insecurity, population displacement, high mobility and cross-border movements were hampering surveillance and response operations, raising the risk of further spread.

The outbreak is unfolding in conflict-affected areas where access to health care, clean water, food and shelter remains limited. Attacks on health facilities have restricted access for response teams and increased the risk of transmission going undetected.

Assessing the risk within the DRC as "very high," the WHO said a substantial expansion of surveillance, testing, clinical care, infection control, community engagement and logistics was needed to get ahead of the outbreak. ■