The World Health Organization (WHO) has started rolling out Ebola vaccinations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following the country’s first outbreak of the virus in three years.
Health officials confirmed that vaccinations began in Bulape, Kasai Province, the epicenter of the outbreak. An initial 400 doses of the Ervebo vaccine were deployed from a national stockpile of 2,000, with an additional 45,000 doses approved for shipment by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision.
According to the Ministry of Health in Kinshasa, the outbreak was declared in early September and has so far led to 32 suspected cases, 20 confirmed infections, and 16 deaths. The virus, which thrives in DRC’s dense forests, has now been detected as far as 70 kilometers from Bulape, raising concerns about wider transmission.
WHO Programme Manager Patrick Otim cautioned that the risk of the outbreak spreading remains moderate, particularly across the border into Angola. He stressed that delays in mobilizing resources could make containment efforts significantly more challenging.
Aid agencies have voiced alarm at declining international support, warning that reduced funding and weakened response mechanisms could hamper efforts to stop the disease from escalating further.
