Over 6,000 people perish from Measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Various militias spread carnage and death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Yet, a horrendous measles epidemic and the ravages of Ebola also blight this multi-ethnic nation. Therefore, the international community needs to step up its support to the DRC because of the many problems this nation faces.
In the area of health, it is known that at least 6,000 people have died in the last year in the DRC from measles. While many others have perished because of Ebola. However, the infrastructure and health care facilities available are inadequate, despite this nation being blessed with many natural resources.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) over 300,000 suspected cases of measles occurred last year. Hence, with the ravages of Ebola, various militias, and other health concerns, then the situation is extremely serious.
It is known that the government of the DRC and the WHO worked together last year to vaccinate young children. Thus, just over 18 million minors under the age of five were vaccinated. However, a further 40 million dollars is needed to cover children aged between six and fourteen years of age. Therefore, the international community and the government of the DRC need to work together to help this nation.
The Regional Director for Africa who represents the WHO, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, stated, “Yet to be truly successful we must ensure that no child faces the unnecessary risk of death from a disease that is easily preventable by a vaccine. We urge our donor partners to urgently step up their assistance.”
The BBC reports, “It is estimated that a global total of 110,000 people die from measles each year.”
Hopefully, this crisis will come to the attention of the international community to an even greater extent. Likewise, the DRC needs support in many other ways to stem the spiral of death from various causes that are preventable.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-51028791
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