The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sunday announced that it had begun vaccinating frontline health workers and contacts of confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Kasai Province, where an Ebola outbreak has been declared.
The organisation said an initial 400 doses of the Ervebo Ebola vaccine, drawn from the country’s 2,000-dose stockpile, had been delivered to Bulape, the epicentre of the outbreak. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision has also approved the dispatch of some 45,000 additional doses to strengthen the response.
The outbreak, Congo’s first in three years, was declared in early September. The country’s dense tropical forests are considered a natural reservoir of the virus, which causes fever, severe body aches and diarrhoea, and can persist in survivors’ bodies, sometimes resurfacing years later.
Also Read: Congo Declares New Ebola Outbreak With 15 Deaths
According to the latest data from the health ministry in Kinshasa, there are 32 suspected cases, 20 confirmed infections and 16 deaths.
“Containing the outbreak is possible, but it will be challenging if we miss the window of opportunity,” WHO Programme Area Manager Patrick Otim told a briefing in Geneva last week, urging greater support for the Congolese government and partners.
Several aid workers warned that Congo may struggle to mount an effective response following recent cuts to foreign assistance and the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development under President Donald Trump.
Otim also noted the risk of further spread, reporting that one new case had been confirmed 70 kilometres from the current epicentre. He said there was a moderate risk of the outbreak reaching neighbouring countries, particularly Angola.
