DRC: Confronting a Measles Epidemic

By Eunice Kilonzo

Kinshasa---The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is facing crises from all corners. From the recent reports of mass rapes, to civil unrests, floods, citizens being moved to suspected minefields because the authority wants to build shops and hotel in their land and now; diseases. Infants born in the Congo today are battling three deadly diseases: polio, measles and cholera. The severe one being measles. According to the latest figures form local health authorities, 16,112 suspected cases of measles have been reported since early 2011. Now, over 21,000 are feared to be infected and at least 210 killed. 106 of the dead are reported to have been children - 90 in the Katanga province. A massive Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) aid campaign has been underway since September 2010. Over 1.5 million children have been vaccinated so far, but it appears the epidemic is still spreading.

In Kinshasa, more than 3,000 cases of measles have been recorded in the past three months in two districts of Maniema Province, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The districts of Kibombo and Kindu show that since mid-April, a measles epidemic has caused more than 15 deaths at health facilities, and three or four times as many have died at home, in cases where families did not take stricken children to medical centres.

"The total number dying of measles at home in April, could have been more than 60; for lack of a way for these families to bring these patients to the hospital because of the distance to health facilities," says Germain Musombo, a member of civil society in Maniema.

Health and humanitarian workers report that the measles virus has spread beyond a few rural areas to cities and is poised to move beyond five provinces to the rest of the country. Meanwhile, there is danger from a new cholera outbreak in and around Kisangani, in the north of the country. The province is generally underdeveloped, with few people enjoying access to clean drinking water and just 52,000 of the provinces' estimated population of two million having access to electricity.

"With the population living under these conditions, there is cause for concern," says Martin Bila Omari, who is responsible for epidemiology at the provincial inspectorate of the health ministry.

While the province of Maniema struggles with epidemics of measles and polio, non-governmental organizations warn of 80 cases of measles in the territory of Bukama, in Katanga province, in the southeast of the DRC. The treatment and vaccination needs are huge and the requirements in terms of human resources, finances and logistical capacity.

“We are asking the Ministry of Health to launch a response immediately to outbreaks that occur in the other provinces or in any new health zone that is affected,” says Gaël Hankenne, MSF head of mission in Katanga.

 “At the same time, we are asking international donors and institutions, and health organizations with activities in the DRC – particularly United Nation agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and Non Governmental Organizations – to take action immediately. We request that they either release emergency funding or take hands-on action as part of the epidemic response. If this international response is not rapid, it will be impossible to check the spread of measles in the DRC,” he added.

Measles is highly contagious, and can lead to pneumonia, severe dehydration, blindness and death, especially among children. When a population has not been vaccinated, measles can kill between one and 15 percent of afflicted children, according to Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). That number rises to 25 percent among those with impaired access to healthcare. It remains one of the leading causes of death among young children globally, despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. An estimated 164 000 people died from measles in 2008 – mostly children under the age of five. Interestingly, it only costs $1 for the measles vaccine. In 2010, 28 countries in sub-Saharan Africa reported measles outbreaks, with more than 1,200 deaths confirmed due to measles.