REGGIO EMILIA, Italy (AP) — Marcus Thuram scored his fourth goal in three games as Inter Milan beat Cagliari 3-0 and extended its lead in Serie A to 12 points on Friday.
After a poor first half in which Inter failed to turn its pressure into goals, Cristian Chivu’s men took control during a four-minute period shortly after halftime.
Federico Dimarco’s superb pass left Thuram with a tap-in at the far post, then four minutes later Nicolo Barella lashed in an unstoppable shot from 15 meters out to make it 2-0.
Piotr Zielinski saved the best for last with a superbly struck volley that flew into the top corner.
The result put the champions-elect 12 points clear of Napoli with six games remaining.
Cagliari was in 16th place, six points above the relegation zone.
Earlier, Como fell to a second defeat in a week when it went down at Sassuolo 2-1.
Cristian Volpato and M'Bala Nzola struck in the three minutes before halftime to give Sassuolo a lead against the run of play.
Argentina international Nico Paz pulled a goal back in first-half stoppage time — his third in four games — but Como could not get an equalizer in spite of dominating possession in the second half.
Como’s first away loss in 2026 came after losing at home to Inter 4-3 on Monday. Although Como remained in fifth place, Juventus, two points above it, could go five points clear if it beats Bologna on Sunday.
Cesc Fàbregas’ side went unbeaten in nine away games dating to Dec. 15 when it went down by a single goal at Roma.
Sassuolo was in ninth.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Como's Nico Paz celebrates after scoring a goal during the Serie A soccer match between Sassuolo and Como, Friday, April 17, 2026 in Reggio Emilia, Italy. (Massimo Paolone/LaPresse via AP)
Inter Milan's head coach Cristian Chivu celebrates at the end of the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Cagliari in Milan, Italy, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Inter Milan's Nicolo Barella, on Marcus Thuram shoulders, celebrates after scoring his side's 2nd goal during the Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and Cagliari in Milan, Italy, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
The species of Ebola virus causing an outbreak in Congo that has killed nearly 120 people is less common than other Ebola viruses, which is complicating the response because there are no specific treatments or vaccines.
“There’s nothing even close to ready for clinical trials," said Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist who treated patients in West Africa during the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic. “And so that means responders, healthcare workers and other aid workers are really back to the basics."
Here's what to know about Bundibugyo virus, the rare species behind the outbreak of what public health officials call Ebola virus disease.
Bundibugyo has caused two other outbreaks, all in the same region of the Congo River basin, said Dr. Tom Ksiazek, a University of Texas Medical Branch virologist and veterinarian. He directed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Special Pathogens Branch, which first identified the virus in 2007.
The virus is spread the same way as other Ebola viruses: through close contact with sick or deceased patients' bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit. Healthcare workers and family members caring for sick patients face the highest risk, experts said.
“So very often we see doctors and nurses among the first to be infected and to die,” said Gounder, editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News.
From the few outbreaks health experts have seen, Bundibugyo might be slightly less deadly than what is often called Zaire virus, the most common species.
"I think a 30%-plus mortality rate is still quite scary, but it's hard to say with a lot of precision because we don't have a lot of experience," Gounder said.
In the other two Bundibugyo outbreaks, initial cases were identified early, Ksiazek said, allowing for a quick public health response: getting healthcare workers proper protective equipment, finding and isolating people who were exposed and offering supportive medical care to patients. Proper medical care “reduces mortality significantly,” he said.
That includes giving patients lots of IV or oral fluids, Gounder said.
Health workers are now working to find and isolate cases, trace their contacts and educate people about how to avoid the virus. In the West African epidemic, ensuring safe methods of burial was key to stopping the spread, said Gounder, because people were getting sick from preparing their loved ones' bodies for funeral rites. Making sure health workers have proper protective equipment is also critical, experts said.
“Of course, it's problematic because vaccines are some of our best tools for combating infectious diseases,” said Lina Moses, an epidemiologist and disease ecologist at Tulane University. But other public health tools — public education, contact tracing, quick testing — still work, she said.
“It’s important to keep in mind that every single Ebola outbreak that has occurred in the (Democratic Republic of the Congo) — we’re on our 17th now — has been stopped,” she said.
Associated Press Southern Africa reporter Mogomotsi Magome contributed from Johannesburg.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
A health official uses a thermometer to screen people in front of Kibuli Muslim Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, Saturday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/ Hajarah Nalwadda)
