The initiative aims to contain the spread of avoidable diseases such as polio, measles and yellow fever, which remain a persistent threat in hard -to -reach areas.
Quick response
WHO Delivered 79 external engines, two speedboats, 14 motorcycles and other essential equipment of US $ 750,000 to the country’s Ministry of Public Health to expand vaccination campaigns in 89 health zones in nine provinces, the agency said in a press release on Tuesday (in French).
“These boats and vehicles will allow health professionals to quickly reach children and communities that have long been cut from essential servicesSaid Bourreima Hama Sambo, who representative in the DRC.
“This will significantly reduce the number of lost vaccines and ensure that no child is vulnerable to diseases we can prevent.”
This will significantly reduce the number of lost vaccines and ensure that no child is vulnerable to diseases that we can prevent
– Dr. Bourreima Hama Sambo, what a representative
Fighting against avoidable diseases
The Congo River and its many tributaries form a wide network of isolated islands and remote settlements, particularly in provinces such as Équateur, Mongala, Tanganyika and Tshopo.
Many of these areas host a large number of unvaccinated children, leading to repeated outbreaks of polio, measles and yellow fever, according to whom.
In 2024, the RDC confirmed 25 cases of circulating variant polyoviruses (types 1 and 2) and reported more than 102,500 suspected measlesresulting in more than 2,200 deaths. Meningitis is also a major concern, with 5,837 suspicious cases and 465 deaths last year.
WHO and RDC authorities have been working to face these challenges through mass immunization campaigns.
“Improving the availability of vaccines and other vital health supplies in the expanded immunization branches (PPE), health zones and areas, It is essential to strengthen the health system and implement advanced and mobile vaccination strategies. Integration with other health services will make a difference, bringing significant benefits to the most vulnerable populations, ”said Dr. Sambo.
Dr. Eastern Congo’s displaced families due to unbridled insecurity.
MPOX Outbreak in progress
Even when the country fights a vaccine preventable diseases, the DRC continues to face a large MPOX outbreak. Between January 1 and March 2, 2025, The country has recorded 2,415 confirmed cases, with 1,080 of them occurring only in the last six weeks.
Which declared the resurgence of MPOX a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and warned that the virus is circulating in at least ten provinces.
The outbreak is being fed by the human-to-human sustained transmission, particularly in the capital, Kinshasa, where genomic sequencing indicates that a specific strain has persisted since July 2024.
Impact of violence
Complicating response efforts are continuous violence in the Eastern RDC, which interrupted health services and made it difficult to track and contain the virus. In February, the virus was first detected in Lomami’s south-central province, expanding its reach even more.
WHO is also monitoring new MPOX cases related to trips that have emerged abroad, including Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.
About that, South Africa reported its first cluster of MPOX cases linked to the same voltage circulating in the DRC.
