EBOLA VAX CAMPAIGN BEGINS AFTER VIRUS RESURFACES

GOMA Medics in eastern Congo began an Ebola vaccination campaign on Wednesday, the World Health Organization said, days after the death of a two-year old boy raised fears of another major outbreak. The toddler died last Wednesday in a clinic in the city of Beni, one of the epicentres of a 2018-2020 outbreak which killed more than 2,200 people and infected about a thousand more.

The WHO said three people from the same neighbourhood died in September after experiencing Ebola-like symptoms. Further genomic sequencing is needed to determine if the latest case is linked to previous outbreaks or if it came from a new source. Ebola can remain present in semen for months after recovery, causing sporadic flare-ups of the disease that when caught early are generally easier to contain.