AFRICA/DR CONGO - Uncontrollable epidemic of measles: 23,000 people infected

Lubumbashi (Agenzia Fides) - More than 23,000 people, mostly children, have been infected with measles in the region of Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo. More than 400 have died. This was reported by the humanitarian NGO Doctors Without Borders. In a village with 500 inhabitants, more than 30 children under 5 have died in two months, a third of all children in that age group. The epidemic began to spread in February but, until the beginning of the month, the central Government in Kinshasa had not recognized what was going on and the deaths were not officially registered. MSF teams have vaccinated more than 300,000 children although with great difficulty.
The movements of the vaccine to the clinics in the village have been hampered by the poor condition of roads and railways. Some villages can be reached only on foot, by bike or canoe. Many children in the region are already weakened by malaria and malnutrition. Katanga, is the southernmost region of the Country, rich in copper and cobalt mines, but poor and underdeveloped. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 17/09/2015)