(CNN) The deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has surpassed 1,000 cases, according to the country's health ministry.

The number of confirmed cases stands at 1,009, of which 944 are confirmed and 65 probable, in an outbreak that started in August. The death toll is at 629 -- 564 are confirmed from Ebola and 65 probable.

It is the second-deadliest and second-largest Ebola outbreak in history, topped only by one in West Africa in 2014, when the disease killed more than 11,000 people, according to the World Health Organization.

"We use words like 'cases' and 'containment' to be scientific, but behind every number is a person, a family and a community that is suffering," said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general in a statement Saturday . "This outbreak has gone on far too long."

Last week, the WHO had reported a rise in the weekly rate of confirmed Ebola cases after several weeks of decline. The organization cited "increased security challenges, including the recent direct attacks on treatment centers, and pockets of community mistrust" as causes for the uptick.

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