The health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) said they started Ebola vaccination in Mbandaka, the capital city of Equateur Province, on Wednesday, to halt the spread of the virus.

In a statement released on Saturday, health officials declared an Ebola outbreak after a case was confirmed in Mbandaka. It is the third outbreak since 2018.

They said, a 31-year-old male patient began experiencing symptoms on April 5 and, after more than a week of care at home, sought treatment at a local health facility.

On April 21, the patient was admitted to an Ebola treatment centre for intensive care but died later that day. So far, the virus has claimed two lives since April 21.

An estimated 200 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine have been shipped to Mbandaka from the eastern city of Goma. More doses are expected to be delivered progressively in the coming days, the World Health Organisation reported.  

The vaccination uses the “ring strategy,” where the contacts of the confirmed Ebola patients are given the vaccine as well as frontline and health workers.

At least 233 contacts have been identified and are being monitored as per the information given by the World Health Organisation.