This archive report was first published on 28 November 2019.
As of November 17, 2019, the DRC had registered 250,270 measles cases, including 5,110 deaths, the WHO said in a statement.
The country declared its latest measles epidemic in June, and in September, it launched an emergency vaccination campaign to counter the outbreak, which is still ongoing.
WHO Director of Immunization Kate O'Brien described the epidemic as 'all over the country,' with most of those affected being 'children and babies.'
Measles is a highly-contagious disease caused by a virus that attacks mainly children, with serious complications including blindness, brain swelling, diarrhea, and severe respiratory infections.
The rapid spread of measles in DRC has garnered less attention than the Ebola epidemic that has been raging in the east of the country since August 2018, which has killed over 2,200 people.
WHO's Emergency Medical Team Unit is working to address both outbreaks, with some Ebola teams being trained to also manage measles cases due to the large burden.
However, efforts to rein in the spread of both Ebola and measles are being hampered by violence and unrest across the country, particularly in the east.
On Tuesday, WHO moved 49 Ebola-response staff out of the eastern town of Beni due to surging insecurity, and 94 civilians in the Beni area have been killed by armed groups since November 5.
