In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the number of measles infections is again rising sharply in several provinces in the country. Although measles is easily preventable through vaccination, infection remains very dangerous and even fatal, especially in children under the age of five. To protect them, our teams are now conducting emergency vaccination campaigns.
Measles epidemics across almost all of RD Congo
More than 68,500 suspected measles cases and 1,002 deaths were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo from January to mid-June 2022, according to the Congolese Ministry of Health. That’s more than the total number of cases in all of 2021. 114 health zones have been declared epidemic in 24 of the country’s 26 provinces.
Vaccination rate not high enough
The regular flare-up of measles outbreaks in the DR Congo is largely due to inadequate vaccination coverage. Among other things, the long distances to the health centers and the lack of money for the journey there prevent many parents from having their children vaccinated. Getting vaccines in remote areas and maintaining the cold chain to ensure proper storage are also major logistical challenges. Other factors include the nurses’ strike from August 2021 to February 2022, which suspended routine immunization activities in many health centers. Covid-19 also restricted travel and made some people afraid to go to health facilities and get vaccinated.
Doctors Without Borders emergency teams help vaccinate and treat
Doctors Without Borders is once again deploying emergency teams to support the Ministry of Health. Our teams are particularly active where a rapid increase in the number of cases is reported in an area where local response capacity is limited or access is difficult. Since the beginning of the year, these teams have vaccinated more than 700,000 children against measles in 10 provinces of the DRC. In addition to vaccination, they also take care of the treatment of sick children.
Vaccination rate should be increased
In order to prevent the spread of measles, vaccination should be intensified and free treatment of measles cases should be introduced in areas designated as epidemic by the authorities. But we also need to prevent the emergence of new epidemics by increasing vaccination rates. This means accelerated introduction of the second dose of measles vaccine recommended by the authorities and the timetable for organizing additional mass vaccination campaigns. One of the challenges is ensuring that a routine immunization effort is maintained.