UN begins Ebola vaccination effort in Congo

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that it had begun administering Ebola vaccines to people in eastern Congo.

WHO said in a statement that people most at-risk for contracting the disease would be vaccinated first, The Associated Press reported.

About 200 doses were sent to Beni, a region that was particularly hard-hit by the outbreak from 2018-2020 and where a case of Ebola was identified last week. About 1,000 doses were also sent to Goma, Congo’s North Kivu province’s capital city, according to the AP. 

Last week, a toddler died from the disease, and his family is expected to be among the first to receive the vaccine. 

The Ebola epidemic started in 2018 when more than 2,2000 people were killed by the disease in Congo. The latest outbreak began on Oct. 8. 

During the 2018 through 2020 Congo Ebola crisis, an investigation unearthed at least 21 allegations of sexual abuse by aid workers from WHO. Over 80 women and girls in Congo said aid workers abused them.

One of the 15 experts who traveled to the Congo this month was a sexual abuse and exploitation expert, the AP reported.

The Hill has reached out to WHO for more information.