Ebola Vaccination Campaign in DR Congo

An Ebola vaccination campaign was to begin on Monday in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Some 4,000 doses of the vaccine were shipped to Mbandaka over the weekend after it was announced that the country is facing its ninth outbreak, Euro News reported. There have been four instances which tested positive in the Wangata neighborhood and there are another two suspected cases. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders has established an isolation ward at a hospital there. The Wangata Hospital Director, Doctor Mazibu Hilaire says, “The building does not conform to international regulations but we have reorganized it ... to make sure there is no contamination for the staff and the patients, since there are patients that come here who are either suspect or probable cases or those who might be confirmed later.” The Kinshasa government reported the outbreak on May 8, one day after two samples tested positive. Congolese Red Cross volunteers buried a possible Ebola victim in Mbandaka last Thursday on May 17. The World Health Organization says the deadly disease has killed 25 people since early April.