Congo kicks off Ebola vaccinations to stem outbreak in northwest, WHO says

[April 27, 2022]  DAKAR (Reuters) - The Democratic Republic of Congo has kicked off Ebola vaccinations to stem an outbreak in the northwest city of Mbandaka, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Two people are known to have died so far in the city of over one million inhabitants where people live in close proximity to road, water and air links to the capital Kinshasa.

The first death occurred on April 21 and the second on Tuesday, marking the central African country's 14th Ebola outbreak.

Around 200 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine have been shipped to Mbandaka from the eastern city of Goma, with more doses to be delivered in coming days, the WHO said in a statement.

 A health worker fills a syringe with Ebola vaccine before injecting it to a patient, in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

So far 233 contacts have been identified and are being monitored, it added.

(Reporting by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Estelle Shirbon)

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