A measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has sickened over 21,000 and killed at least 210, it is being reported. 106 of the dead are being reported to have been children. 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.
The outbreak seems to have started sometime mid-year in 2010 and has been spreading ever since. Unfortunately, the vaccination efforts don’t seem to have slowed down its spread yet. According to Gaël Hankenne, Medecins Sans Frontieres head of Mission in the DRC: “The measles epidemic is spiralling out of control…”. Measles is a highly contagious disease. According to the WHO:
Measles is a highly contagious, serious disease caused by a virus.
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.
The most serious complications include blindness, encephalitis (an infection that causes brain swelling), severe diarrhoea and related dehydration, ear infections, or severe respiratory infections such as pneumonia. As high as 10% of measles cases result in death among populations with high levels of malnutrition and a lack of adequate health care.
It costs less than $1 US to vaccinate one child against measles. No one should be dying of measles when a highly safe and effective vaccine, costing less than one dollar exists, regardless of where in the world they happen to live.
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