DRC: Measles continues to Stalk

By Staff writer

Kinshasa – This past December, MSF issued an alert about a measles epidemic in Equateur and Orientale provinces, in northern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), trying to draw attention to the situation and the lack of resources available to health personnel responding to the emergency. Two months later, however, the measles epidemic is still afflicting tens of thousands of children in the area.

The disease is said to be extremely contagious and can spread quickly. DRC, has a large gaps in its healthcare system and the effects is said, to be devastating. Measles leads to serious medical complications in patients, and the mortality can reach up to 25% of the cases.

Since March 2012, MSF has treated more than 18,500 patients and vaccinated more than 440,000 children, but it is clear that many more need assistance. “We see lots of small, recently-dug graves along the roads,” says Nathalie Gielen, manager of an MSF team returning from Djolu health zone in Equateur. “We counted 35 dead in one village. A father told us that he had lost seven children in three weeks. Traveling from village to village, we hear just one word: measles. People are frightened and hopeless. They’re asking for help.”

“This situation is only the latest development in an ongoing epidemic that has affected the entire country since 2010 and is particularly deadly among children under five years of age,” says Amaury Grégoire, MSF deputy head of mission. “It is unacceptable that anyone still dies of measles in the 21st century. A very effective and cheap vaccine is available and protects after a single dose. Yet, in countries like DRC, hundreds of thousands of children have never been vaccinated and continue to die of such an easily preventable disease.”

The extent of the needs has overwhelmed DRC’s health system. Many health facilities are barely operational. Those that are frequently run out of drugs and struggle to find qualified staff. The absence of passable roads makes it very difficult to reach and supply them. The cold chain, which is critical to ensure that the vaccine is effective, is often broken in the most remote areas because of lack of equipment or electricity. In the Yahuma health zone in Orientale province, where MSF has vaccinated 76,000 children, the health center has only two refrigerators and one broken motorcycle to serve an area half the size of Switzerland.

This situation makes it particularly difficult to provide access to medical care. Most of the population lives in distant villages and under the poverty threshold, meaning they cannot travel to access treatment. Furthermore, even though a epidemic has been declared, some people still get charged for medical attention.

In this vast, forested region, people must often walk for several days to obtain medical care. Going to a public health center is often a last resort – after trying traditional medicine – and only if they can afford it.

“The parents arrive when the child has already developed medical complications, such as acute respiratory infections or malnutrition,” says Dr. Jehu, who heads the MSF team at the Buta hospital. “Some also have malaria. We treat many children with multiple, simultaneous medical complications. Many die in their village because the health facilities cannot provide adequate care.”

“The treatment of children affected by measles-associated medical complications is very difficult, even in a well-equipped intensive care unit. But no child should get to a hospital due to measles, because it should be so easy to prevent,” concludes Dr. Mathieu Bichet, MSF deputy programme manager.