Pope Leo XIV called for international solidarity with the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, as the African nation battles a deadly Ebola virus outbreak.

“In my prayers,” the pontiff said, “I often remember the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly because of the spread of the Ebola epidemic, which is unfortunately claiming many lives.”

The pope was speaking to pilgrims and tourists gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus.

“I encourage a response from the international community that also involves local communities in prevention efforts, in order to save many human lives,” the pope said.

Data released by the World Health Organization this past week showed the current Ebola outbreak on track to surpass the 2014-2016 outbreak of the disease, which is the deadliest on record.

The particular strain involved in this outbreak is a rare one, called the Bundibugyo strain. There are no approved treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.

Also, epidemiologists suspect the disease began to spread months before public health officials became aware the disease was circulating, perhaps as early as February, though the outbreak was only officially declared in May.

Experts say contact tracing becomes extremely difficult in such circumstances, meaning it is far more difficult both to track the spread of the disease and to bring it under control.

So far, there are roughly 5,300 confirmed cases of the Bundibugyo strain, but experts suspect the real number of cases to be much higher. Of those confirmed cases, more than 2500 have been fatal.

Armed conflict between government forces and rebel groups in control of cities where the outbreak is concentrated has hampered efforts to halt the spread.

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