By NewsDesk @bactiman63
In a follow-up on the measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health officials report an additional 7500 suspect cases in the past two weeks, bringing the total cases since the beginning of the year to 106,870.
Image/P. S. Burton
The death toll due to the measles outbreak has reached 1,815 deaths (case fatality ratio 1.7%).
Two thirds of the cases notifed since the beginning of 2019 come from the provinces of Tshopo (27%), Kasai (16%), Haut-Lomami (11%) and Lualaba (9%). Children between 12 and 59 months account for 77% of cases and 90% of measles-related deaths in the country.
In addition, the provinces of North-Kivu and Ituri, which are battling the 2nd largest Ebola outbreak ever, are also in the midst of a measles outbreaks, reporting thousands of cases.
A vaccination campaign in April reached some 2 million children.
The WHO says response efforts to this outbreak face many logistical difficulties in the face of the vast territory and the structural weaknesses of the health system, all within the context of a prolonged humanitarian crisis. Furthermore, vaccination coverage for measles vaccine remains inadequate in several health zones, which favors the simultaneous resurgence of measles across the country.
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