The World Health Organisation has begun vaccinations of health care and frontline workers against the Ebola virus at the Juba Teaching Hospital in Juba, South Sudan.
The WHO has carried out similar campaigns in Yei River, Gbudue and Torit State where 1,904 people received the vaccinations as part of Ebola preparedness efforts in South Sudan.
The announcement follows an International Partnership Strengthening meeting in Uganda to offer a joint roadmap to support readiness interventions in 9 high-risk countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The countries are Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia.
Uganda’s Ministry of Health says that a series of activities are already underway in the country in preparation for a response to any case.
The WHO’s Representative to Uganda Dr Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam says significant progress has been made to contain the outbreak but major challenges still remain.
The DR Congo is currently experiencing the second largest Ebola outbreak globally after the one that hit West Africa in 2014 killing more than 11,000 people.
The current Ebola outbreak is believed to have killed 676 people and infected 406 others. Another 331 patients have recovered.
