(HealthDay)—The death toll in the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo now stands at 1,008, the country's health minister reported.

The outbreak was declared nearly nine months ago and is the second deadliest outbreak of the virus, the Associated Press reported Friday.

The deadliest outbreak occurred in 2014 to 2016 in West Africa, and more than 11,000 people died.

Hostility toward health workers is hindering efforts to contain the Congo outbreak. International aid organizations have halted their work in some communities due to the risks, the AP reported.

More information: AP News Article