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Ebola has spread from Congo to 4 other countries. A look at where things stand

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Ebola has spread from Congo to 4 other countries. A look at where things stand
News

News

Ebola has spread from Congo to 4 other countries. A look at where things stand

2026-10-21 19:13 Last Updated At:19:20

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Ebola disease from the fast-moving outbreak in Congo has now spread to four other countries, including two where it's active. It has spread farther across Africa than any previous Ebola outbreak, reaching three regions.

Nigeria on Tuesday became the latest country affected by the outbreak, which was first declared in eastern Congo in mid-May. Caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus for which there’s no approved vaccine or drug, the outbreak has killed at least 4,600 of the 9,500 people infected in Congo.

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A health care worker reacts while receiving a dose of Ervebo vaccine against the Ebola virus in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)

A health care worker reacts while receiving a dose of Ervebo vaccine against the Ebola virus in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)

People walk past the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

People walk past the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

People disinfect their hands as a Kenyan health worker checks the temperatures of travelers crossing from Uganda to Kenya as part of measures to contain the spread of Ebola virus, in Busia, Kenya, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

People disinfect their hands as a Kenyan health worker checks the temperatures of travelers crossing from Uganda to Kenya as part of measures to contain the spread of Ebola virus, in Busia, Kenya, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

A man walks past a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

A man walks past a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

The World Health Organization has said it is the fastest-growing outbreak of Ebola in history. In Africa, it's been recorded in the central, western and eastern regions.

A recurring problem in the spread in Africa is what appears to be lax surveillance efforts as most of the first cases were confirmed long after people started showing symptoms or after traveling.

Here is where things stand in other countries affected by this Ebola outbreak:

Nigeria confirmed an Ebola infection in its capital, Abuja, in a woman who arrived from Uganda about two weeks ago.

The woman began showing symptoms on Oct. 7 and was admitted to a private hospital in Abuja on Oct. 11, where she was later diagnosed with Ebola.

It is still unclear when she arrived in Nigeria. Health Minister Muhammad Pate said authorities had begun tracing 44 people identified as contacts of the patient and were “doing everything possible to contain this case.”

Uganda confirmed an Ebola outbreak on the same day as neighboring Congo after detecting the infection in a man traveling from Congo.

The first cases in Uganda were Congolese patients who crossed the border to seek treatment for an unknown illness before it was known they had Ebola, according to health authorities.

The Uganda outbreak was declared over by WHO on Aug. 27, after 20 confirmed cases, including 15 patients from Congo. Eighteen people recovered and two died. More than 800 contacts were identified and monitored, and the country said Tuesday that it has no new cases.

Kenya announced its first Ebola case on Oct. 6, involving a man who traveled from Congo via Uganda before arriving in the capital, Nairobi, on Oct. 3.

He tested positive for Ebola on Oct. 5 and died the same day.

Ebola cases in Kenya have increased to nine, including four relatives of the first patient and four health workers.

Authorities have also identified 135 contacts linked to the nine patients, with 134 in quarantine. Kenya's Health Ministry said there was still no evidence of transmission beyond known contacts of the first patient.

France in June confirmed a positive case of Ebola in a doctor traveling back from Congo, making it the first and only country outside Africa to have recorded a case in this outbreak.

The individual returned from a humanitarian mission in one of the virus transmission zones in Congo and was taken into care at a specialized facility in France. The person recovered and was discharged on July 4, according to WHO.

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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

A health care worker reacts while receiving a dose of Ervebo vaccine against the Ebola virus in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)

A health care worker reacts while receiving a dose of Ervebo vaccine against the Ebola virus in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)

People walk past the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

People walk past the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

People disinfect their hands as a Kenyan health worker checks the temperatures of travelers crossing from Uganda to Kenya as part of measures to contain the spread of Ebola virus, in Busia, Kenya, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

People disinfect their hands as a Kenyan health worker checks the temperatures of travelers crossing from Uganda to Kenya as part of measures to contain the spread of Ebola virus, in Busia, Kenya, Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Kasuku)

A man walks past a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

A man walks past a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market rose Wednesday following strong profit reports from SpaceX, Capital One Financial and other big companies.

The S&P 500 added 0.6% and pulled within 0.8% of its all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 360 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.1%.

SpaceX helped lead the market and climbed 7.8% after reporting a stronger profit for the summer than analysts expected. Elon Musk, who runs the company that makes money from artificial-intelligence technology, rockets and other businesses, also said that SpaceX took a step to consider a possible merger with Tesla, his electric-vehicle company.

Tesla rose 3.4% and was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500.

Other stocks rallying on profit reports that topped analysts’ expectations included Capital One Financial, which rose 2.5%, and Winnebago Industries, which climbed 10.7%.

Expectations are high for profit growth for all kinds of companies during the summer, and they need to meet them to justify the big runs their stock prices have made despite worries about high inflation, higher interest rates and other challenges weighing on Wall Street.

Winnebago was able to report a more resilient profit than expected even as high fuel prices and frustration among U.S. shoppers restrain interest in recreational vehicles, for example. CEO Michael Happe said its more expensive towable RVs are a tougher sell, but customers are interested in its “more accessible” offerings.

On the losing side of Wall Street was Netflix, which fell 5.3% even though the streaming service reported a stronger profit than analysts expected. Investors focused instead on worries that Netflix’s momentum may be slowing. The company’s forecast for revenue growth in the final three months of the year fell short of analysts’ expectations.

AT&T fell 6.4% even though it likewise delivered a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It gave a forecast for growth this year in an underlying measure of earnings before income taxes and some other things that fell short of some analysts’ expectations.

Among AI stocks, which have been at the center of the market’s action in recent weeks, the movements remained unsettled.

After leading the rest of the market for years because of the frenzy around AI, stocks in the industry have become shaky on worries that the build out of data centers may slow because of how much more expensive it’s become to borrow money.

CoreWeave, which has borrowed money to buy AI chips that it rents out to customers over the cloud, has been particularly volatile. Its stock bounced between an early gain of nearly 4% and a drop of 4.5% Wednesday morning before finishing with a dip of 0.5%. A day earlier, it careened between a gain of 5% and a drop of more than 6%.

Other AI-linked stocks were more resilient, and Nvidia’s rise of 2.5% was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500.

Besides SpaceX’s profit report showing strength for AI spending, another encouraging signal for the industry came from Super Micro Computer, which sells AI servers and services. It said it expects to report stronger revenue for the summer than it had earlier forecast because of “increased demand for AI platforms,” and its stock rallied 9.5%.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 44.60 points to 7,757.17. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 360.21 to 52,856.09, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 278.04 to 26,702.86.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury erased an early dip and climbed back to 5.12%, where it was late Tuesday.

It swung with oil prices, which remained unsteady. The price for a barrel of Brent crude drifted between $108 and $111 before settling at $108.82.

It’s been yo-yoing between $97 and $112 through October on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.3% for one of the world’s biggest moves as AI stocks regained strength.

AP Business Writers Michelle Chapman and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

A general view shows the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

A general view shows the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - Signs at the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets stand near flags flying from the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

FILE - Signs at the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets stand near flags flying from the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader talks with her colleague near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader talks with her colleague near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A screen shows the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won, SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A screen shows the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won, SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

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