The initiative aims to limit the spread of preventable diseases such as polio, measles and yellow fever that remain a persistent threat in difficult to access areas.
Quick response
Who delivered 79 outboard motors, two speed boats, 14 motorcycles and other essential equipment worth $ 750,000 to the country’s public health to extend vaccination campaigns in 89 health zones in nine provinces, the agency announced on Tuesday in a press release (in French).
“”These boats and vehicles will allow health workers to quickly reach children and communities that have long been cut off from essential services“Said Boureima Hama Sambo, representative of the DRC.
“This will considerably reduce the number of missed vaccinations and guarantee that no child is vulnerable to the diseases that we can prevent.”
This will considerably reduce the number of missed vaccinations and guarantee that no child remains vulnerable to diseases that we can prevent
– Dr Boureima Hama Sambo, representative who
Fight preventable diseases
The Congo river and its many tributaries form a large network of isolated islands and distant colonies, especially in provinces such as Ecuador, Mongala, Tanganyika and Tshopo.
According to the WHO, many of these areas host a large number of unvaccinated children, leading to repeated epidemics of polio, measles and yellow fever.
In 2024, the DRC confirmed 25 cases of poliovirus varying in circulation (types 1 and 2) and reported more than 102,500 cases of suspect measlesresulting in more than 2,200 deaths. Meningitis also remains a major concern, with 5,837 suspicious cases and 465 deaths last year.
The WHO and DRC authorities worked to meet these challenges through mass vaccination campaigns.
“Improvement of the availability of vaccines and other vital health supplies in the extended program on branches, health zones and areas, health zones and areas, areas, areas, areas, areas, areas, is essential to strengthen the health system and implement advanced and mobile vaccination strategies. Integration with other health services will make a difference, providing significant advantages to the most vulnerable populations, “said Dr. Sambo.
Ivy families in eastern Dr. Congo due to creeping insecurity.
MPOX epidemic in progress
Even if the country fights against vaccine preventable diseases, the DRC continues to cope with a large epidemic of MPOX. Between January 1 and March 2, 2025, The country has recorded 2,415 confirmed cases, of which 1,080 occurring in the past six weeks only.
Who declared the resurgence of MPOX as an emergency of public health of international concern (Pheic) and warned that the virus is circulating in at least ten provinces.
The epidemic is fueled by a sustained human transmission, in particular in the capital, Kinshasa, where genomic sequencing indicates that a specific strain has persisted since July 2024.
Impact of violence
Complicating response efforts is the current violence in the eastern DRC, which disrupted health services and made it difficult to follow up and contain it from the virus. In February, the virus was detected for the first time in the South Center in the province of Lomami, further expanding its scope.
The WHO also monitors new MPOX cases linked to travel that emerged outside the country, especially in Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In the meantime, South Africa reported its first MPOX case group linked to the same strain circulating in the DRC.
