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Nurse Dead In Congo As Ebola Vaccination Campaign Starts

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Congo's health minister says a nurse has died from Ebola in Bikoro, the rural northwestern town where the outbreak began, as the country begins a vaccination campaign.

Health Minister Oly Ilunga said late Sunday that the nurse's death brings the death toll to 27. There are now 49 hemorrhagic fever cases: 22 confirmed as Ebola, 21 probable and 6 suspected.

Ilunga said two patients have recovered from Ebola, returning home.

Congo's health delegation, including the health minister, and representatives of the World Health Organization and United Nations have arrived in Mbandaka, the northwestern city of more than 1 million where Ebola has spread, to launch the vaccination campaign Monday. The ministry said it will take five days to target health care workers and 100 registered contacts in the city.