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.

In Congo, the battle against the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola has been complicated by skepticism, attacks on health workers and misinformation. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported at least 63 deaths from 397 confirmed cases as of Friday. Many locals dismissed the outbreak as a conspiracy. In response, journalist Vérité Johnson launched a radio program in Bunia to combat rumors and educate residents. The World Health Organization and Africa CDC have launched a $518 million response plan. Resistance to health protocols is common in Congo, fueled by mistrust and misinformation, complicating efforts to contain the virus.

The World Health Organization chief says Congo's Ebola outbreak had a head start but that testing is improving, even as violence plagues the region. Since mid-May, 344 cases and 60 deaths have been confirmed in three eastern provinces. The number of suspected cases has dropped significantly. Uganda has 15 confirmed cases, including one death. The outbreak involves a rare Ebola type with no approved medicine or vaccine. Limited testing and access issues make assessing the outbreak's extent difficult. WHO's Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that only 45% of contacts have been traced, with insecurity and displacement complicating efforts. Health workers face challenges, including attacks and skepticism about Ebola's existence.

The head of the World Health Organization has arrived in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, to support efforts against an Ebola outbreak. Medical personnel are struggling with equipment shortages, distrustful populations and armed groups. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized community collaboration. The outbreak of a rare type of Ebola is spreading faster than the response, with 906 suspected cases and 223 deaths. Aid from the EU and the U.S. is arriving. Health workers face challenges due to local burial rites and regional conflicts. The WHO is discouraging travel bans, but the U.S. has imposed a 21-day ban on noncitizens who have visited Congo and two neighboring countries.

Ugandan authorities have ordered the closure of the border with Congo amid a surge in Ebola cases. The decision was made by a local Ebola task force. This comes after a rise in Ugandan health workers exposed to Ebola by Congolese patients who crossed the border before the outbreak was declared on May 15. Uganda has reported seven cases of Ebola, including a 59-year-old man who died in Kampala on May 14. Meanwhile, the number of suspected Ebola cases in eastern Congo is nearing 1,000, with at least 220 suspected deaths.

Oceanwide Expeditions has revealed that 30 passengers disembarked from its cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak on April 24. They left the ship on the remote island of St. Helena, nearly two weeks after the first passenger died. The company had previously said that a Dutch man's body was removed there, and that his wife also disembarked. She later died in South Africa. Authorities across four continents are tracing contacts of passengers who left the ship. Three passengers have died in the outbreak, and several others are sick. Argentina's Health Ministry tells The Associated Press that a team of investigators has yet to leave for the southern town they suspect is where a Dutch couple contracted the virus.

The U.N. health agency says two patients with hantavirus and one suspected of infection were evacuated from a cruise ship at the center of a deadly outbreak. Two of the patients arrived at Amsterdam's airport Wednesday evening and were driven off in ambulances. The ship departed from Cape Verde and headed to Spain's Canary Islands. The World Health Organization says eight cases have been recorded, with five confirmed by lab tests. Three people have died. Two Argentine officials investigating the origins of the outbreak say the government's leading hypothesis is that a Dutch couple contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing before boarding.

Footage obtained by The Associated Press of a cruise ship in a rare-virus outbreak shows deserted decks and medical teams in protective gear as the vessel and its nearly 150 passengers and crew waited another day for help off West Africa. Officials say three passengers have died, and at least four people are sick. Authorities say the outbreak involves hantavirus, which usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings. Two cases are confirmed. Passengers are isolating in cabins. The vessel is in the Atlantic off Cape Verde. Officials say it plans to move to Spain's Canary Islands after medical evacuations. But Spanish officials said earlier Tuesday that they haven't made a decision.