GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo — The yearlong Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has hit what officials are calling a milestone: more than 3,000 confirmed and probable cases and a death toll above 2,000, according to government data released on Friday.

The outbreak, Congo’s 10th, is the second-worst epidemic of the virus on record. It is also the first in the densely forested hillside provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, where militia-led violence and ethnic killing have undermined security in certain areas for decades.

Despite the development of an effective vaccine and treatments, health workers have struggled to control the spread of the disease in remote and conflict-hit areas of the eastern part of the country. Many residents are wary of the response effort, and responders are battling to overcome community mistrust and security problems.

“For the treatments to work, people need to trust them and the medical staff who administer them,” the International Federation of the Red Cross said in a statement. “This will take time, resources and a lot of hard work.”