Measles outbreaks in the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have risen 700% so far in 2019 compared with 2018. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said it could become the decade’s “deadliest” epidemic. Health Minister Rachel Seguin said 87,000 suspected cases were reported by mid-May, with a mortality rate of 1.8%. He said 95% of the population would need to be vaccinated. A global anti-vaccination movement and insufficient immunisation schemes have been blamed for the increase in outbreaks. DRC health workers are also tackling more than 2,000 cases of Ebola, which has caused 1,357 deaths.
Measles outbreaks in the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have risen 700% so far in 2019 compared with 2018. Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said it could become the decade’s “deadliest” epidemic. Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said 87,000 suspected cases were reported by mid-May, with a mortality rate of 1.8%. He said 95% of the population would need to be vaccinated. A global anti-vaccination movement and insufficient immunisation schemes have been blamed for the increase in outbreaks. DRC health workers are also tackling more than 2,000 cases of Ebola, which has caused 1,357 deaths.