Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
KINSHASA, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) — Vaccination against the Ebola virus has begun in the Bulape health zone in central Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where an outbreak was declared earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Sunday.
The current phase of vaccination targets frontline health workers and people in contact with confirmed cases, the WHO said in a statement.
An initial shipment of 400 doses of the Ervebo vaccine, which protects against the Zaire ebolavirus variants behind the current outbreak, has arrived in Bulapé, one of the epicenters of the outbreak in Kasai province. About 45,000 doses are expected to arrive in the coming days, according to the WHO.
The outbreak can be contained if measures are taken within the next two weeks, WHO programme spokesman Patrick Otim told a press briefing in Geneva on Friday. He said there were 1,500 more doses of vaccine available in the capital, Kinshasa, which would be used once the ultra-cold storage system was operational.
The country has at least 68 suspected cases, including 16 deaths, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which gave an online briefing on Thursday. The WHO said on Friday that 25 cases had been confirmed.
The epicentre of the outbreak is located near Tshikapa, the capital of Kasai province, approximately 100-200 km from the border with Angola. The outbreak is currently confined to a remote rural area, but frequent population movements between Bulapé and Tshikapa increase the risk of wider spread.
This is the 16th Ebola outbreak recorded in the DRC since 1976. Kasai province previously reported Ebola outbreaks in 2007 and 2008, according to the WHO. –0–
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