Ebola outbreak in DRC's Kasai: vaccination starts in Bulape

Health authorities have begun vaccinating frontline health workers and contacts in Bulape, the epicenter of a newly declared Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Kasai province, as officials race to contain a disease that has spread across several remote health zones. The World Health Organization said an initial 400 doses of the Ervebo vaccine were delivered to Bulape on Friday, flown in aboard a United Nations peacekeeping helicopter, and ring vaccination has started while additional vaccine supplies and treatments are being mobilized.

The outbreak, first confirmed in early September, involves the Zaire ebolavirus species. Case counts vary by source and date. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported 68 suspected cases and 16 deaths in a briefing last week, while other public health summaries compiled later put the figures higher, with one report citing 81 confirmed cases and 28 deaths, including several health workers. WHO officials and national authorities have warned that numbers could rise as access to affected communities is limited and investigations continue.

WHO programme area manager Patrick Otim said the agency has struggled...