ADVANCES

Ebola Vaccine to Be Deployed in Congo Outbreak

The vaccine proved to be effective two years ago but will be used for the first time.

Health organizations plan to deploy a new Ebola vaccine that could help end a new outbreak of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to The New York Times. The vaccine was proven to be effective two years ago, but this is the first time its being used in an effort to curb an outbreak. Teams were sent to the epicenter of the outbreak, a town called Bikoro, after lab tests confirmed two died of the disease earlier this week. The team’s hope is to have a “15-bed treatment center and a mobile laboratory in place by this weekend,” the World Health Organization told the newspaper. The disease kills about half of those infected, and causes internal bleeding through the destruction of blood vessels. It is thought to come from bats, but is passed along to humans through consumed meat. Thirty-two are suspected to be infected with the virus, and 18 have died since the outbreak emerged in April.