GENEVA (Reuters) — The World Health Organization (WHO) announced plans to deploy an experimental Ebola vaccine to combat an outbreak in a remote area of the Democratic Republic of Congo, aiming to prevent its spread to the provincial capital, home to one million people.
Researchers at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, Manitoba, have prepared the vaccine for shipment to WHO headquarters in Geneva. This initiative follows the recent announcement by Congo’s health ministry, confirming 32 suspected, probable, or confirmed cases of Ebola since April 4, including 18 fatalities.
WHO officials warn that controlling this outbreak will be challenging and costly. “This will be tough, and it will be expensive to stamp out this outbreak,” said Peter Salama, WHO’s Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Health Authorities Prioritize Vaccine Distribution
Congo’s Health Minister, Dr. Oly Ilunga, emphasized the potential risks to urban centers and healthcare workers, highlighting the urgency of vaccination efforts. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed via Twitter that he had spoken with Ilunga to coordinate response efforts.
Initially, the country’s health ministry was slow to approve emergency use of the Merck-developed Ebola vaccine. However, given the severity of the outbreak, authorities are now prioritizing healthcare workers for vaccination to prevent further spread.
Conclusion
This story has been updated to reflect the latest case count reported by the World Health Organization. WHO officials remain vigilant, closely monitoring the outbreak and refining strategies to mitigate its impact.