LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — African health ministers were invited Wednesday to an “extraordinary virtual meeting” to discuss the spread of Ebola after Nigeria reported its first case of the disease that has claimed thousands of lives and has spread rapidly since an outbreak began in Congo in May.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the Oct. 28 meeting would “strengthen our collective response.”
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A man sells newspapers 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)
A man arranges newspapers at a newsstand in Abuja, Nigeria Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)
A healthcare worker speaks to a colleague at the Ebola treatment center in Beni, North Kivu province, Congo, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
A woman walks past the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)
On Tuesday, Nigeria reported its first case, linked to a traveler from Uganda who arrived in the country earlier this month.
Uganda, which declared itself Ebola-free in July after recording 20 cases, has denied claims that Nigeria’s first case originated there. Nigerian authorities said they were tracing 44 contacts.
The patient, a foreign national who entered Nigeria on Oct. 5, was initially treated for malaria symptoms but failed to recover, arousing suspicions in the attending physicians, Odianosen Ehiakhamen, an assistant director at the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, told a local media outlet late Tuesday.
He said the 44 contacts are mostly healthcare workers but also the patient's spouse, a Swiss national.
Nigeria and Kenya, which has recorded nine cases, are the latest countries to report cases linked to travelers who passed through Uganda.
The latest outbreak was first detected in Congo in May after spreading undetected for months, according to the World Health Organization. It has since infected more than 9,500 people and killed nearly half of them, making it the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak in history.
“Ebola is now affecting three regions of Africa. The situation demands urgent action and political leadership at the highest level,” Kaseya said in a post on X.
The WHO said on Wednesday that it had advised “all countries in the region to sustain a high level of readiness as the DRC outbreak continues to evolve.”
In parts of Congo, including North Kivu, health authorities say the disease is out of control, with most recorded deaths occurring in the community and contact tracing struggling to keep pace with the virus’s spread.
The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. France has also recorded a case.
A man sells newspapers 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)
A man arranges newspapers at a newsstand in Abuja, Nigeria Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)
A healthcare worker speaks to a colleague at the Ebola treatment center in Beni, North Kivu province, Congo, Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
A woman walks past the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja, Nigeria, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Afolabi Sotunde)
Iran's state television reported that seven oil tankers were either struck by attacks or hit naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz overnight Thursday, possibly the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the Iran war started on Feb. 28.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East. Read our full coverage here.
Iran’s state television reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged overnight Thursday after being targeted or striking naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
If verified, it would be the largest single-day number of vessels damaged in the waterway since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28 when the United States and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran.
Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard's navy, the Iranian report said that four of the tankers were transferring oil when they were targeted and caught fire. Another three were damaged and immobilized when they hit naval mines.
The report didn't provide details about possible casualties or the flags of the tankers.
The report also warned that the Revolutionary Guard may target U.S. bases in the region if the U.S. tried to allow oil tankers to transit through other parts of the strait.
The Revolutionary Guard had routinely targeted U.S. bases in Gulf countries during the war.
Yemen’s Defense Ministry said Thursday that Houthi rallies and mobilization programs will be considered legitimate military targets and warned residents in Houthi-held areas against taking part.
The announcement was shared in a social media post and is considered a major escalation against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels as well as civilians living in areas under their control.
Deliberate attacks on civilians could amount to a war crime.
Rallies and what Houthis call “cultural courses” are one of the Iranian-backed group’s main tools for mobilization of supporters and fighters.
The Defense Ministry statement said such assemblies are used by the Houthis to mobilize children for combat.
Saudi Arabia's Civil Aviation Authority said Thursday that the number of people killed in an attack on the King Fahd International Airport has risen to two.
The dead are a Saudi citizen and an Indian national who was living in the kingdom, according to a statement. Another eight people suffered injuries in the attack that occurred late Wednesday.
Saudi authorities didn't say who was responsible for the attack or provide any details about the attack reported earlier Thursday. The Houthi rebels issued no statement.
King Fahd Airport on the country's east near Bahrain and Qatar has been attacked previously amid a wider wave of Houthi missile and projectile strikes targeting major airports in Saudi Arabia.
A civilian with special needs was killed during an Israeli forces raid Thursday on the village of Jamla in southern Syria’s Daraa province, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
It did not give more details about how the disabled man was killed. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December 2024, Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria and has occupied it since.
Jamla isn't inside the Israeli occupied zone but Israeli forces often make incursions into areas outside the zone.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
A displaced Yemeni girl walks at Al-Firdaws 2 camp in Ras Imran, on the western outskirts of Aden, Yemen, Yemen, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
Residents walk on their home debris at Seina district in Taiz, Yemen, after a missile strike, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Marzouq Al Jabri)
Residents walk amid debris from their homes after a missile strike in Seina, Taiz, Yemen, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Marzouq Al Jabri)
