6,000 people die from measles in the Congo in one year. The epidemic could be prevented by vaccination, but it fails because of the money and the infrastructure.
A measles outbreak in the Congo has now led to more than 6,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) – around three times as many as the Ebola epidemic. This is currently the worst outbreak of measles worldwide, the WHO said. “We are doing our best to control this epidemic,” said WHO chief for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti. Accordingly, no child should be exposed to the unnecessary risk of death from an illness that can be easily prevented by vaccination.
Epidemic broke out a year ago
The measles epidemic in the Central African country broke out about a year ago. So far, according to WHO data, there have been 310,000 cases. Last year, 18 million children under the age of five were vaccinated. However, the vaccination rate is low in many regions, also because the areas are difficult to reach due to conflicts and poor infrastructure. There is also a lack of money. According to the WHO, the disease is one of the largest causes of death for children worldwide. However, it can easily be prevented by vaccination.
In addition to the measles outbreak, the Congo has also been struggling with a devastating Ebola epidemic for more than a year. So far, according to the authorities, almost 3,400 people have been infected with the dangerous virus and around 2,230 people have died.
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