The Ethiopian Ministry of Health says it will begin administering vaccine to contain an ongoing marburg outbreak in the southern part of the country.
In a statement issued this weekend, the ministry said the vaccines will be distributed starting from Monday, with priority given to health workers and high vulnerable groups.
2,500 doses of the investigational cAd3-Marburg vaccine were received from the U.S. government and that prompted the ministry to start vaccination.
According to the statement, the vaccines will contribute to the ongoing response efforts, such as strengthened surveillance and control efforts, focusing on protecting vulnerable populations, including front-line health workers.
Ethiopia confirmed a marburg virus disease outbreak in Jinka town in southern Ethiopia on November 14, following laboratory testing of samples from a cluster of suspected cases of viral hemorrhagic fever.
The country has so far recorded 13 confirmed cases and eight deaths. Four patients have already recovered from the disease, with one patient currently receiving medical treatment, according to the ministry.
The marburg virus, a highly infectious pathogen with a high fatality rate, causes hemorrhagic fever.
Symptoms, including high fever and severe headache, typically appear within a week of exposure. It belongs to the same virus family as Ebola, according to the World Health Organization.
MG/as/APA