WHO chief lands in Congo, saying Ebola outbreak 'can be stopped'

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — The head of the World Health Organization has arrived in Congo's capital, Kinshasa, to support efforts against an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola virus, as medical personnel struggle with a lack of equipment, a distrustful population and armed groups in a volatile region.

The World Health Organization said Friday authorities have reported 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths.

“To come here is to really show to the community that they’re not alone," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the airport late Thursday.

“Pushing orders from my comfortable office in Geneva is easy, but I’m asking my colleagues to work with the community and I am asking communities to protect themselves,” he added.

The outbreak “can be stopped,” he said, but is “very complex.”

Challenges like the high number of people displaced by armed conflict in the region and food insecurity are complicating efforts to stop the spread of the virus, Tedros said.

Containment has been particularly difficult because the disease likely spread for weeks before it was first identified in mid-May.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has said three of its volunteers in Ituri province died after they were believed to have contracted Ebola doing unrelated health work on March 27 — more than a month before the first suspected death cited by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, the outbreak continues to spread faster than the response, despite health facilities becoming more organized and the arrival of more equipment.

Anaïs Legand, a researcher in the WHO emergencies program, told reporters at a U.N. briefing in Geneva Friday that one “positive development” was that a person in Congo who had contracted the Bundibugyo virus had recovered and was discharged on Wednesday. It is the only documented recovery of a confirmed Ebola patient during the current outbreak.

Legand said five other infected people were also likely to recover.

The average fatality rate of Bundibugyo virus is around 30 to 50%, she said.

Medical aid donated by the European Union arrived in Ituri, the heart of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, on Thursday, with more shipments expected over the next eight days. The United States announced $80 million in additional aid on the same day, bringing its total commitment to more than $112 million.

An AP reporter in Bunia, the provincial capital, said the response has improved since the new arrivals of aid earlier this week.

At Rwampara Hospital, where a treatment center has been established, the response looks far more organized than in previous days, with more staff deployed, stronger prevention measures and teams in protective gear visible across units — though patients continue to arrive around the clock.

The same progress was noted at Bunia General Hospital, where new medical kits, support personnel and emergency funding appear to be reinvigorating operations.

Health workers with scant supplies had been struggling to contain the outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, a kind of Ebola that has no approved treatment or vaccine. In some areas, doctors have resorted to wearing expired medical masks while treating suspected patients.

There are no specific treatments for Bundibugyo.

“We are currently exploring the use of more and more drugs and compounds that can help save even more lives, because, as I’ve mentioned, this disease initially presents just like any other infectious disease we’re familiar with: dizziness, headache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea,” Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told reporters Thursday night.

Dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by anger among residents over the stringent medical protocols for dealing with the bodies of victims, which clash with local burial rites. Residents have launched at least three attacks against health centers.

Tucked in the northeastern part of Congo close to the Ugandan border, Ituri province has been reeling from attacks by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias. In early May, the ADF killed at least 40 people and burned several homes in Ituri.

The illness also has been reported in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels have reported two cases.

After Uganda closed its border with Congo, the WHO chief said Thursday he discourages countries from imposing travel bans. “There are ways to manage workers and to manage cases without having a strong, restricted travel ban and we don’t encourage that as WHO,” Tedros said.

The Trump administration last week announced a temporary ban on the entry of people without U.S. passports who have visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days. It said Wednesday it plans to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them to the U.S.

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Kabumba reported from Bunia, Congo, and Banchereau from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this report.

From left, Luboya Nkashama, Military Governor of Ituri Province, Patrick Muyaya, Minister of Communication and Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba, Minister of Public Health, speak to the press during a briefing on the Ebola response in Bunia, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba, Minister of Public Health, addresses the press during a briefing on the Ebola response in Bunia, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

From left, Luboya Nkashama, Military Governor of Ituri Province, Patrick Muyaya, Minister of Communication and Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba, Minister of Public Health, speak to the press during a briefing on the Ebola response in Bunia, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, left, is welcomed by U.K. Minister for International Development and Africa Jenny Chapman at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. CORRECTION: corrects U.K. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to U.K. Minister for International Development and Africa Jenny Chapman (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, arrives at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, left, is welcomed by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, left, is welcomed by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, left, is welcomed by UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaks to the media upon his arrival at N'djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine and then went astray slammed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people in the NATO member country, Romanian authorities said, adding to concerns that the war could spread across the alliance’s borders.

The Russian drone was tracked by radar in Romanian airspace and crashed onto the roof of the building in the city of Galati, Romania’s Defense Ministry said in a statement. The impact was followed by a fire. The two people suffered minor injuries, and several others were evacuated.

The Romanian military scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter that were authorized to engage targets, and alert messages were sent to residents of the affected areas. But the aircraft didn’t engage or shoot at the drone to bring it down.

Romania asked NATO for a faster transfer of anti-drone capabilities to its military, the Foreign Ministry said, calling the drone's flight a serious violation of international law.

The incursion was the latest in a litany of drone incidents — from both Russia and Ukraine — to afflict NATO member states and leave the 32-member trans-Atlantic organization on edge, drawing strong condemnation from Romania's allies.

Gen. Gheorghe Maxim, a stand-in commander for the Romanian armed forces' joint staff, told a news conference on Friday that the strike in Galati wasn't “an attack from Russia against Romania,” but “Romanians should understand that Russia is a threat to the security of the countries in the area.”

Galati is on the Danube River, near the borders of Ukraine and Moldova.

Ukrainian forces shot down 217 drones overnight on Friday, according to the country’s air force. In total, Russia attacked with 232 drones and one ballistic missile. Strikes were recorded in 14 areas, the air force said.

While Romania has confirmed drone fragments on its territory on multiple occasions since the war started on Feb. 24, 2022, including in Galati in April this year, no one has previously been hurt in any of the drone incidents, in which many landed in remote areas.

In response to the latest incursion, Romanian President Nicusor Dan convened the NATO member’s top defense body for a meeting on Friday to discuss the implications of what he called “the worst incident to hit the national territory” since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and blamed Russia directly for the incident.

“We will have proportional measures in relation to the Russian Federation. ... There is no ambiguity about the author and the cause of this assault,” he wrote in a post on Facebook. He said that his thoughts are with the injured people, families and residents “who experienced terrible moments in their own homes.”

After the Supreme Council of National Defense meeting in Bucharest, Dan said that the Russian consul in the Black Sea port city of Constanta has been declared persona non grata and that the consulate there will be closed. Russia also has an embassy in Romania's capital, Bucharest.

In recent years, airspace violations have become so common in Romania that lawmakers adopted legislation last year allowing the army to shoot down drones entering its airspace as a last resort. But Romania has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.

Russia has been using long-range ballistic missiles and drones to damage Ukraine’s power grid and hammer cities, and Ukraine has braced for further heavy bombardments.

The latest incident adds to recent drone-related problems posed to Europe. Over the past few months, Ukrainian drones have crashed into the chimney of a power plant in Estonia, hit empty fuel tanks in Latvia and been shot down by Romanian fighter jets stationed in Lithuania. Ukrainian officials apologized and said that the drones were aimed at military targets inside Russia, but were sent off course by Russian electronic interference.

Since the war started nearly 4½ year ago, Poland, Croatia, Romania and non-NATO member Moldova have reported airspace violations and have found drone fragments on their territory.

The string of airspace violations has prompted questions about the state of air defenses on NATO’s eastern flank.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said that he had spoken to Romania’s president and expressed the organization’s “absolute solidarity” with its ally.

Rutte said in an X post that he “affirmed that NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory. We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones.”

NATO allies are talking informally about the incursion, but no official meeting about it was due to take place on Friday. Romania can request formal NATO consultations, if it feels that it’s territory or security is under threat.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also said the incident showed that Russia "has crossed yet another line.” She said the EU will keep strengthening security along its eastern border and was actively drafting another set of sanctions against Russia, the 21st so far.

“A Russian drone incursion struck a densely populated area in Romania, injuring civilians,” she wrote in a social media post. “On EU territory.”

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that the risk of such “serious incidents” was raised by “ Putin’s increasing nervousness, driven by military setbacks.”

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

This story has been corrected to remove the reference to Galati being east of the Ukraine and Moldova borders, since the city is to the west of them.

Stephen McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England.

A serviceman of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence prepares an An-196 Liutyi (Fierce) one-way deep strike drone in an undisclosed location in Ukraine late Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Servicemen of Ukraine's defense intelligence set up the Peklo (Hell) missile drone against Russian in an undisclosed location in Ukraine late Thursday, May 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

In this image made from video provided by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, May 27, 2026., Russian servicemen prepare to launch an interceptor drone for an action in an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, not seen, give a joint news conference at the F16 air flotilla in Uppsala, Sweden, Thursday, May 28, 2026. (Christine Olsson/TT News Agency via AP)