Kinshasa, January 30 – The Ministry of Health and Hygiene of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is preparing a mass vaccination campaign against measles, in response to the increase in cases currently being experienced in the country.
In just the third week of this January, at least 24 deaths were recorded nationwide, while 1,912 cases were detected in the last week, according to a report from health authorities published by Radio Okapi.
Faced with this situation, particularly severe in the provinces at the center of the armed conflict: North Kivu and South Kivu, the country has decided to carry out a mass vaccination campaign in March, aiming to reach nearly 22 million children between six months and 14 years of age.
Children between 12 and 59 months old are the most affected by the current measles outbreak, largely due to the low vaccination rate in some regions.
“Collective mobilization is essential to contain the disease,” emphasized the health authorities.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause severe, even fatal, complications in unvaccinated individuals.
