UN starts vaccinating people against Ebola in Congo

By MARIA CHENG
AP Medical Writer

LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization says officials have begun vaccinating people in eastern Congo against Ebola, after it was confirmed last week that the disease killed a toddler. The U.N. health agency said Wednesday that people at high risk of catching the disease, including the young boy’s family members and health workers, would receive the first doses of the vaccine made by Merck. The Ebola outbreak that started last week comes after a devastating epidemic that began in 2018 and eventually killed more than 2, 200 people in the conflict-ridden region. More than 80 Ebola responders working under WHO also were subsequently found to have sexually abused people during the agency’s efforts to stop the disease.