KINSHASA (Reuters) – An Ebola vaccination campaign has begun in the city of Butembo, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a tweet on Monday.
Health workers at Matanda health centre, where the first Ebola patient was treated, were the first to be vaccinated, the WHO said.
Congo has confirmed four cases of Ebola since a resurgence of the virus was announced on Feb. 7 in Butembo, the epicentre of a previous outbreak that was declared over last June.
On Friday, 1,200 doses of Ebola vaccine and cold chain equipment arrived in the city, according to the WHO.
Separately, the West African country of Guinea declared a new Ebola outbreak on Sunday, with seven confirmed cases and three deaths.
The Ebola virus causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea and is spread through contact with body fluids. The new vaccines have greatly improved survival rates in recent years.
(Reporting by Fiston Mahamba, Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
