Congo

Congolese authorities report a large daily increase in Ebola cases as the virus without a approved medicine or vaccine spreads rapidly. On Sunday, the Ministry of Health confirmed 72 new cases, bringing the total to 782, with 181 confirmed deaths. The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, is spreading in Congo's remote eastern province of Ituri. The World Health Organization is intensifying testing and contact tracing. Africa's top health body is deploying technical expertise to accelerate the response. Nearly a million people have been displaced by years of conflict in the region, complicating efforts to contain the outbreak.

Authorities say confirmed cases of the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo have reached 1,003, including 254 deaths. A total of 100 people have recovered in the outbreak concentrated in the Ituri province since it was declared on May 15, Congo's Ministry of Health said late Sunday. The Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no vaccines or treatment, has been the worst ever after just a month. Officials admit there could be far more cases they still don't know about and that the peak of the outbreak is still ahead.

Healthcare workers at the epicenter of Congo's Ebola outbreak are walking off their jobs to protest delays in their payments. The strike threatens efforts to slow the outbreak that officials say continues to spread faster than the response. The latest government data shows the outbreak has 1,708 recorded cases, including 580 deaths. The work stoppage comes at the start of enrollment for clinical trials for the treatment of the Bundibugyo virus that is responsible for this outbreak. In an official notice to authorities over the weekend, front-line workers in Ituri threatened to strike if the wages were not paid in 24 hours. By Tuesday, some had already stopped working although no official strike has been declared.