Kinshasa, Aug. 17 (SANA)The Democratic Republic ofCongo’s current Ebola outbreakhas become the deadliest in the country’s history, killing 2,325 people as confirmed cases continue to rise, the national public health institute said.

The number of confirmed infections has reached 4,945, including 101 new cases recorded in the latest 24-hour period, Reuters reported, citing the institute’s latest update on Sunday.

The outbreak, Congo’s 17th, has surpassed the 2018-2020 epidemic, which killed 2,299 people and was previously the country’s deadliest.

Only the 2014-2016Ebola outbreak in West Africahas recorded a higher toll. That epidemic caused 28,616 cases and 11,310 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to theWorld Health Organization.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, including those who have died from the disease. Symptoms can include fever, vomiting and diarrhea and, in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.

No treatments or vaccines are currently available for the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak.