KINSHASA: Another person has died in Congo of a confirmed case of Ebola, bringing the number of fatalities to 12, said the country’s health ministry.

The new death happened in Iboko, a rural area in northwestern Equateur province, said the health ministry statement released on Sunday. There are also four new suspected cases in the province, said the statement.

Congo now has 35 confirmed Ebola cases.

Congo’s health minister Saturday flew by helicopter to Bikoro and Iboko to see the deployment of health workers who will be tracing those who have been in contact with Ebola cases and inoculating them with a new experimental vaccine.

Health minister Oly Ilunga was accompanied by representatives of the WHO and Unicef. The vaccination campaign in those rural areas is to begin Monday.

The vaccination campaign is already under way in Mbandaka, where four Ebola cases have been confirmed. About 100 health workers have been vaccinated there as front-line workers face high risk from the virus.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2018