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Congo begins Ebola vaccination amidst recent outbreak in northwest city of Mbandaka

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Following the recent outbreak of the Ebola Virus in the northwest city of Mbandaka, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization on Wednesday says the country has kicked off Ebola vaccinations to stem an outbreak.

Two people have been reported dead from the recent outbreak. The first death was of a 31-year-old male, detected in the city of Mbandaka, capital of Congo’s Equateur province on April 21.

The second was on Tuesday, marking the central African country’s 14th Ebola outbreak was said to be a female relative of the first case.

The World Health Organization said in a statement that around 200 doses of the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine have been shipped to Mbandaka from the eastern city of Goma, with more to be delivered in the coming days.

The stamen further revealed that 233 contacts have been identified and are being monitored and three vaccination teams are on the ground and will focus on reaching all people at high risk.

WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti, said “With effective vaccines at hand and the experience of the Democratic Republic of the Congo health workers in Ebola response, we can quickly change the course of this outbreak for the better.”

Ebola is an infectious and frequently fatal disease marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids by a filovirus (Ebola virus ), whose normal host species is unknown.

Congo has seen 13 previous outbreaks of Ebola, including one in 2018-2020 in the east that killed nearly 2,300 people, the second-highest toll recorded in the history of the virus.

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President Hichilema warns Zambian procurement officials against corruption in handling govt contracts

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Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has warned procurement officers handling government contracts against engaging in corrupt practices while carrying out their duties.

Hichilema, who gave the stern warning in Lusaka on Saturday during the commemoration of the 2023 International Anti-Corruption Day, declared that he had given security operatives the go ahead to bring any corrupt official to book and ensure that adequate punitive action was taken against them.

Hichilema, who was represented at the event by the Home Affairs and Internal Security Minister, Jack Mwiimbu, added that his government’s fight against corruption had been “methodical and professional, making corruption an unattractive endeavour for those who may wish to engage in it.”

“We are resolute in eradicating corruption from the civil service, public procurement system, government contract awards, and all sectors of our economy to ensure Zambia’s prosperity,” he said.

The president also urged citizens not to be afraid to report suspected misconduct in the management and distribution of resources to law enforcement agencies.

He further noted that his administration had taken a proactive stance on reviewing the National Anti-Corruption Policy that would offer national guidance on strategies and programmes to combat corruption effectively.

“We are working diligently to involve various sectors of society, ensuring that the fight against corruption is inclusive, with all citizens informed of their role and empowered to contribute to the struggle,” Hichilema said.

He added that the government had granted the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) the authority to expand its operational presence in Zambia, and that the commission had spread its operations to 12 additional districts in Zambia.

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Nigeria’s VP Shettima admits hardship, poverty, pleads for patience

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Vice President Kashim Shettima of Nigeria has become the first official in the President Bola Tinubu’s administration to admit that majority of Nigerians are angry with government officials as a result of the rising cost of living and its attendant hardship and poverty.

Shettima, who made the admission in Abuja on Saturday at the graduation ceremony of the Executive Intelligence Management Course 16, however, pleaded with Nigerians to be patient and support Tinubu so that he could work to solve the problems.

In his keynote address at the occasion, Shettima said the Tinubu-led administration was aware that Nigerians were going through harrowing times, and was doing everything possible to ameliorate the pains as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy and the attendant inflation.

“All of us here belong to a tiny segment of the Nigerian population. And you don’t need a soothsayer to tell you that the poor are angry with us,” the VP said.

“The poor are the most neglected segment of our society. You can hardly differentiate between them and their animals. Even the animals they rear belong to those in the city. So, there have to be kinetic and non-kinetic solutions to all the problems.

“We have to improve the quality of governance. And what we have is a tiny window of not more than 10 to 20 years. Let’s improve the quality of governance.

“I want to ask you to give the President the benefit of the doubt. Let us be patient. Let us support him.

“Let us rally round him and be reassured that he is determined to redefine the meaning and concept of modern leadership, and is ever ready to reposition the Nigerian nation. But without the support of you and I, he can’t do much”, he just added.

Shettima also suggested that creating jobs and giving hope to the populace would go a long way in curbing insecurity in the country.

“Let’s create jobs; let’s give hope to the populace. And once we create jobs, all this madness of insecurity will disappear.

“There won’t be Boko Haram and banditry if this is done, especially for us from the North. We can blame the bandits, but we in leadership positions owe it to posterity to address this”, he said.

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