A new measles outbreak has been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, eight months after the epidemic was declared over by the authorities, stated medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Over 13,000 measles cases have been reported in the country since January 1, in spite of the vaccination campaigns targeting millions of children across the country over the last two years. While the vaccine drive reduced the number of patients to a considerable extent, it could not cut the chain of transmission, MSF said.

From 2018 to 2020, over 460,000 children contracted measles and around 8,000 succumbed to the disease. Three-quarters of these were under five years old. Since the end of 2020, the country has started recording a rise in patients with measles, stated Anthony Kergosien, coordinator of MSF’s emergency response team in Congo… (Reuters, April 2, 2021)