The Democratic Republic of the Congo has started a huge campaign to vaccinate about 62 million kids and teenagers against measles and rubella, World Health Organization (WHO) and local officials said. The push covers children aged 6 months to 14 years and is a key step before switching to a new combined measles-rubella vaccine in regular immunizations.
Teams will start in seven provinces—including Haut-Katanga, Haut-Lomami, Lualaba, Tanganyika, Bas-Uele, Haut-Uele, and Ituri—from 27 November to 1 December. The rollout will then continue across the rest of the country in phases. Right now, more than 7 million children under five are at risk because of repeated measles outbreaks and low routine vaccination rates.
This catch-up effort aims to close those protection gaps and cut down on cases of Congenital Rubella Syndrome, moving Congo closer to wiping out both diseases. The new campaign is backed by Gavi, WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and the US CDC, all working together to make sure every child gets coverage.
“Vaccines are safe and save lives,” said Dr. Roger Kamba, Congo’s health minister. “We need every parent and community leader to help us make sure no child is left behind.”
Health workers will give shots at clinics and through outreach teams working even in hard-to-reach or conflict-hit areas. Community groups, civil society, and local campaigns are fighting misinformation and urging parents to vaccinate.
“This step will save lives and help ensure no child suffers from measles or rubella,” said Dr. Mohamed Janabi of WHO Africa.
Routine vaccination coverage in Congo is still lower than global targets, leaving millions of kids vulnerable to preventable diseases. Getting the combined measles-rubella vaccine into regular use is a big chance to better protect children and their communities.
