LONDON (AP) — Britain's Queen Camilla has said she knew about her husband’s cancer diagnosis days before it was publicly announced and found it difficult not to talk about his condition when she visited a cancer center during that period.
King Charles III announced on Feb. 5, 2024, that he was being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, breaking with the royal family’s tradition of keeping health concerns private. The king’s openness in talking about his diagnosis has been credited with persuading more men to be tested for prostate cancer and other forms of the disease.
The queen said she was “longing” to talk about Charles’ diagnosis when she opened a Maggie’s cancer support center at the Royal Free Hospital in London a week before the announcement but knew she couldn’t. Camilla has been president of Maggie’s, which runs cancer centers at 27 hospitals around the U.K., since 2008.
“Nobody could say anything at that time. That was quite difficult,” Camilla said in a video released Wednesday to mark the charity’s 30th anniversary. “I almost said something but, you know, I felt that it wasn’t the time say.”
Recent updates on the king say his health is moving in a positive direction as he continues to receive cancer treatment.
Camilla’s eight-minute video is based on a conversation between the queen and Maggie’s Chief Executive Laura Lee, who said the number of men who visit the charity’s centers has risen 12% since the king announced his diagnosis.
Maggie’s provides information, counseling and other forms of support to help cancer patients overcome their fears and continue living while undergoing treatment.
Camilla said she better understood the need for such services after Charles’ diagnosis.
“Look at my husband, nothing stopped him,” she said. “He just said, ‘This is my way. I’m going to cope with it.’”
FILE - Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the state opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Chris Jackson/Pool Photo via AP, File)
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — The Ebola outbreak in Congo has reached 5,000 cases, government data showed Wednesday, as responders warn it is spreading at an unprecedented speed outpacing efforts to slow it in one of the country’s remotest regions.
Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed the outbreak had so far recorded 5,021 cases, including 2,378 deaths as of Sunday, as it rages in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable fueled by insecurity, displacement and intense population movements.
The outbreak has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other outbreak in history. The World Health Organization estimates it will likely surpass the outbreak of 2014 to 2016 across West Africa, which was the deadliest Ebola outbreak on record with more than 11,000 deaths.
Starting from the first detected case, the current outbreak has spread about three times faster than the deadliest on record.
The outbreak “has spread rapidly and the risk of further national and international spread remains high,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Tuesday at a meeting convened by the agency.
“We must be frank: the epidemic is far from being under control,” he said.
Thérèse Anyiya, a nurse working in Ituri’s capital Bunia, said she is exhausted by the work demands and poor working conditions. Some health workers have gone on strike after not being paid.
“If the managers don’t take things seriously, we too will end up withdrawing. The way this epidemic is being managed is exhausting,” Anyiya told The Associated Press.
A key challenge has been the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus, which is responsible for the current outbreak. Most new cases are being reported outside of the people being monitored, showing it has spread quickly and left surveillance teams racing to catch up.
Ituri, the province that has been hit the worst by the outbreak, has become a primary location for violence that has limited the response as health workers are targeted.
Residents on Monday attacked a health team in the territory of Aru after a suspected case was reported there. A mob set fire to an ambulance and damaged two other vehicles, according to Michael Wani, president of the Union of Cultural Associations for the Development of Ituri.
Dr. Martin Cwinyay, who is involved in the Ituri response efforts, explained it is “essential to bring the response closer to the people, particularly in rural, mining and displacement areas.”
Trish Newport, an emergency coordinator with Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said not all the people in the impacted areas have the essential information they need.
“The community needs to be aware about the outbreak. They need to be involved in the response. They need to know what the signs and symptoms are and what to do if they get sick,” Newport said.
Experts believe the virus began spreading from the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February, months before authorities declared the outbreak on May 15.
Responders racing to catch up are also battling several other challenges including threats by rebel groups, anger from communities that have been traumatized for years and bad roads into the affected territories.
Although the 2014-2016 outbreak is considered the deadliest among the virus types that causes Ebola disease, government data shows this Bundibugyo outbreak has killed a higher percentage of people as care and support are not getting to patients quickly enough, while many are not reporting symptoms or doing so late.
The situation also varies across the six affected provinces. While the case fatality rate is so far 47.4%, it is far worse in some places where response efforts are more challenging, such as in North Kivu province where the fatality rate is 70%.
People dressed in protective gear lower into a grave the coffin containing the remains of 3-year-old Mave Mercienne, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)
People dressed in protective gear lower into a grave the coffin containing the remains of 6-year-old Baudjo Baraka Jules, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)
People dressed in protective gear prepare to lower into a grave the coffin containing the remains of 3-year-old Mave Mercienne, who died of Ebola, in Bunia, Ituri province, eastern Congo, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Dieudonne Dirole)
