World's worst measles outbreak kills 6,000 in DRC

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The number of people killed by a measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 6,000, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

The WHO says the epidemic is the world's largest and fastest moving.

Around 310,000 suspected measles cases have been reported since the start of 2019, the WHO says.

The Congolese government and the WHO launched an emergency vaccination programme last September.


More than 18 million children under five were vaccinated across the country in 2019, the WHO says.

But poor infrastructure, attacks on health centres and a lack of access to routine healthcare have all hindered efforts to stop the spread of the disease.

Every one of the country's 26 provinces has reported cases of measles since the outbreak was declared in June last year.

The measles outbreak in DR Congo has killed twice more people than Ebola in the Central African country.
"We are doing our utmost to bring this epidemic under control," said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

"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."