Measles death toll in Democratic Republic of Congo exceeds 5,000

Low immunisation rates and high levels of malnutrition fuelling epidemic

Since the start of the year there have been over 250,000 suspected measles cases in DCR (Getty)

A measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed over 5,000 people this year, many of them young children, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

Low immunisation rates and high levels of malnutrition have fuelled the epidemic and high mortality rates, especially in North Kivu province, which is also reeling from an Ebola epidemic, it said on Thursday.

“Since the start of 2019, more than 250,000 suspected [measles] cases and over 5,000 deaths mostly among children under five years, have been recorded,” the WHO said in a statement.

A first measles vaccination campaign was launched to protect people against the infectious disease that has struck all of the country’s 26 provinces, it said.

A third phase of the campaign is planned, with the ultimate aim of reaching 18.9 million children across the country by year-end, it added.

“While the Ebola outbreak in the DRC has won the world’s attention and progress is being made in saving lives, we must not forget the other urgent health needs the country faces,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

Vaccination is most challenging in North Kivu, where 2.2 million people are to be vaccinated in this round, because high insecurity following armed attacks makes some areas inaccessible to aid workers, WHO said.

The world’s second biggest Ebola epidemic on record has killed more than 2,200 people since mid-2018, but new infections slowed in recent months, the WHO said last week, while warning that Ebola was likely to resurge.

Reuters