The World Health Organization said on Sunday it has begun vaccinating frontline health workers and contacts of confirmed cases in Kasai Province, where the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared an Ebola outbreak earlier this month.
An initial 400 doses of the Ervebo vaccine from a national stockpile of about 2,000 have been delivered to Bulape, the epicentre, the agency said. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision has approved the dispatch of roughly 45,000 additional doses to Congo.
Congo’s health ministry has reported 32 suspected infections, including 20 confirmed cases and 16 deaths. Ebola, which is endemic to the region’s tropical forests, causes fever, severe weakness and diarrhoea, and can persist in survivors, occasionally triggering flare-ups years later.
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 Geneva briefing last week, urging greater support for the government and partners. He said one newly confirmed case appeared 70 km from the epicentre and warned of a moderate risk of cross-border spread, particularly to neighbouring Angola.
Several aid workers say Congo’s response could be strained by reduced foreign assistance, even as international and local teams move to expand surveillance, contact tracing and safe burials.