The number of cases of Ebola in eastern Congo has passed 2,000, government figures showed late on Monday, as the rate of new cases tripled and containment efforts faltered in the remote, unstable region. Local mistrust of health workers and attacks on Ebola clinics by armed militias have contributed to an acceleration in what is now the second-worst outbreak of the virus on record.
The outbreak reached 1,000 cases in March, more than seven months after it was first detected in August last year. It took less than three more months to reach 2,000, according to Democratic Republic of Congo's health ministry and aid agency figures. More than 1,300 have died.
Responders face twin obstacles: resistance from communities who believe that Ebola is a conspiracy made up by aid agencies and the government, and from armed groups seeking to stoke instability for their own gain.
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