The World Health Organization has announced it is planning to send Ebola vaccines to the town of Bikoro in north-western Democratic Republic of Congo where new cases of the deadly virus have been recorded.
17 people are reported to have died from the latest outbreak in the town since December last year, according to the country’s health ministry.
DRC is recording the latest cases of the virus after over a year since the outbreak killed four people.
Over 11,000 people died from the deadly virus in 2014 when it hit West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
WHO Deputy Director-General of Emergency Preparedness and Response Peter Salama is reported by Reuters to have said that his outfit is “preparing for the worst-case scenario”.
Salama said WHO is waiting for DR Congo authorities to approve the deployment of an experimental vaccine although he added the drug was not a magic bullet.
According to Reuters, the main hospital in Bikoro has received a new suspected Ebola case with the hospital’s director confirming that on Friday.
The virus which is transmitted by bats was first discovered in DRC in 1976 and named after the Ebola river.
Source: Africafeeds.com
