WHO says Congo's fast-moving Ebola outbreak started months before it was declared

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record started in February, months before it was officially declared in mid-May, the World Health Organization said Monday as responders in eastern Congo struggle to catch up.

The WHO regional director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Yakub Janabi, told a news conference that sequencing indicated the outbreak's start. He said some cases early on were wrongly attributed to malaria and typhoid.

“So we are chasing the virus, the virus is ahead of us,” Janabi said.

Confirmed cases of Ebola in this outbreak have reached 4,200, including over 1,900 deaths, according to the latest government figures.

The outbreak declared on May 15 is unlike most previous ones for Ebola because the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments. Early testing was conducted for the more common type of Ebola, contributing to delays.

The outbreak is unfolding in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable, with strikes by some unpaid health workers, threats by rebel groups, anger from long-traumatized communities and misinformation asserting that Ebola isn’t real. Health teams travel remote, unpaved roads and have reported shortages of protective gear, while a vast population of displaced people struggles to find reliable water sources for washing hands.

This Ebola outbreak has killed more people at a quicker rate than any other, including the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa that is considered the worst on record with over 11,000 deaths out of at least 28,000 cases. That one took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.

Ebola is rare but highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen and with contaminated surfaces and materials such as bedding and clothing. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.

Last week, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu said Ebola is spreading faster than efforts to fight it. New cases are doubling in some hot spots, Tedros said on X after meeting with officials in the capital, Kinshasa.

Health authorities have said between 60% and 70% of new cases are recorded outside of contacts being monitored, and that the outbreak is spreading at an “alarming” rate.

Access to healthcare in the region already had been challenged by years of rebel conflict in one of Congo’s most remote and vulnerable areas, near the borders of South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda. Now some pregnant women and others are avoiding health centers for fear of the virus, at risk to their lives.

Several past Ebola outbreaks have also been declared weeks or months late, including the 2014-2016 West Africa outbreak. That outbreak was declared in March 2014, although the first human case later was found to have occurred in December 2013.

Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal.

This version corrects the second reference to the WHO director-general to Tedros.

A health worker in protective gear prepares to mop the floor at an ebola treatment centre in Bunia, Congo, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

Mohamed Yakub Janabi, second left, WHO regional director for Africa, attends a press conference in Bunia, Congo, Monday, Aug 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

A health worker in protective gear walks at an Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, Congo, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO regional director for Africa, speaks during a press conference in Bunia, Congo, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

Health workers in protective gear wave inside an Ebola treatment centre in Bunia, Congo, Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

Wiza Bondele, a health worker on the prevention and control team, seen at work in Ituri province, eastern Congo, Wednesday, Aug 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

Wiza Bondele, Right, a health worker on the prevention and control team, seen at work in Ituri province, eastern Congo, Wednesday, Aug 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

Wiza Bondele, centre, a health worker on the prevention and control team, seen at work in Ituri province, eastern Congo, Wednesday, Aug 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — A drone hit and sank a cargo vessel in the Black Sea on Friday, killing one crew member and leaving three missing, officials said, in the latest attack on commercial shipping in the region that has raised fears of an escalation in Russia's war against Ukraine.

Romanian naval authorities said that a search and rescue mission was underway after the ship caught fire and sank about 13 nautical miles (15 miles) east of the port city of Constanta, near Romania's territorial waters. The crew consisted of 10 Ukrainian citizens and three Azerbaijanis. Nine were rescued.

“This attack is a new example of the tragic consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Romanian President Nicusor Dan said. “It is time for Russia to take peace initiatives of the United States and Europe seriously, accept the ceasefire proposals and end the war.”

At least seven other cargo vessels have been attacked this month off the Black Sea coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, leaving two people dead and 25 missing.

Video released by the Interior Ministry showed only the ship's hull protruding above the surface in rough seas.

The naval authority identified the ship as the Comoros-flagged Khoryv, which the shipping data website MarineTraffic shows departed Turkey on Oct. 21 and was headed for Romania’s Sulina port.

“Rescue teams continue search operations to identify and rescue the other three crew members,” the naval authority said, adding that it wasn't possible to deploy a helicopter due to unfavorable weather conditions and low visibility.

On Saturday, Romanian pilots on air policing duties shot down two drones in Romania’s territorial waters over the Black Sea.

This image from video provided by Romanian Ministry For Internal Affairs shows a ship that capsized after a drone attack in the Black Sea, about 13 nautical miles (15 miles) east of the port city of Constanta, near Romania's territorial waters. on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (Romanian Ministry For Internal Affairs via AP)