AGENCIES: Measles epidemic has spread in all the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, claiming lives of over 5,000 people in the year 2019.
This figure has exceeded the number of deaths caused by Ebola in 2015 by two times, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Over 250,000 people have been affected by the epidemic so far. The government of Congo in corroboration with the WHO, had launched an emergency program with the aim of vaccinating over 800,000 children.
However, the efforts made in the preventive measures has been hit due to poor infrastructure, attack on the heath centers and lack of access to health.
Around 4 million people have been vaccinated so far. But this is less than half of the number of children required to be vaccinated.
It is estimated that over 1 million children lose their lives every year due to measles.
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