Government data released Friday evening showed the number of confirmed Ebola cases in Congo has risen to 1,830, including 648 deaths, according to the official report documenting cases recorded in the previous 24 hours through Thursday.

American citizen working for humanitarian organization in Congo infected with Ebola

This increase reflects the continued spread of the virus in affected areas, amid challenges faced by health teams in containing the outbreak, especially in hard-to-reach communities, further complicating rapid response efforts.

In a related development, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that an American citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo has been infected with Ebola from the Bundibugyo strain.

The agency confirmed it is working with the organization, federal agencies, and partners in the Democratic Republic of Congo to prevent the spread of infection and identify contacts most at risk.

The Congolese Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, is working to strengthen surveillance and contact tracing, and increase the readiness of treatment centers, in an effort to reduce transmission and deaths, while international bodies stress that the situation requires additional support to ensure the sustainability of health interventions.