The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced the launch of a vaccination campaign in Congo this weekend following a fresh Ebola outbreak in the Central African country.
Patrick Otim, WHO’s head of operations in the area, said on Friday in Geneva that an initial batch of 400 doses had been flown by helicopter to the remote affected region.
Concerns about a wider spread of the deadly virus have grown after a new confirmed case emerged about 70 kilometres from the initial outbreak zone in Bulape, Kasaï Province.
Aid workers have already traced hundreds of people who came into contact with infected individuals, with those contacts set to receive the first vaccinations.
The outbreak, first detected in early September, has presented logistical hurdles as the vaccine must be kept at very low temperatures despite the lack of reliable electricity in the region. Special cooling boxes are currently being used to preserve the doses.
A further 1,500 vaccine doses are expected to be delivered once a stable cold chain system is established.
According to WHO, 25 cases have so far been confirmed, with 14 deaths, including three children under the age of five. African health authorities have also reported dozens of suspected cases, though the WHO is only confirming those verified by laboratory testing.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids and causes fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea. Without immediate treatment, the mortality rate remains extremely high.
The 2014–2015 outbreak in West Africa claimed more than 11,000 lives.
(NAN)