WHO Begins Ebola Vaccinations in DRC as Outbreak Spreads

WHO Begins Ebola Vaccinations in DRC as Outbreak Spreads
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has begun vaccinating frontline health workers and contacts of infected individuals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to combat a new Ebola outbreak. The outbreak, the country’s first in three years, was declared in early September in the Kasai Province.

According to a report from Africanews, an initial batch of 400 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine was delivered to Bulape, the epicenter of the outbreak. An additional 45,000 doses have been approved for shipment by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision to help contain the spread.

The health ministry reports that the outbreak has led to 32 suspected cases, 20 confirmed cases, and 16 deaths. A WHO official, Patrick Otim, expressed concern about the outbreak’s potential to expand, noting that a case was confirmed 70 kilometers from the epicenter and that there is a moderate risk of the virus spreading to neighboring Angola. Aid workers have also voiced concerns that reduced foreign assistance and weakened international support structures could complicate the response efforts.