French.china.org.cn| Updated on 09-08-2022
The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Congo is organizing a vaccination campaign, which runs from August 6 to 11 and aims to vaccinate four million Congolese people against measles and yellow fever, Xinhua noted on Monday.
The measles vaccine is for children aged six months to nine years for measles, while adults aged up to 60 will be vaccinated against yellow fever.
This campaign benefits from government funding of more than 560 million CFA francs and more than one billion CFA francs from the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI).
According to the Minister of Health and Population, Gilbert Mokoki, 6,259 cases of measles have been recorded in the country since the beginning of the year, including 132 deaths, mainly children under five, while 574 cases yellow fever suspects were notified, including three confirmed cases.
“The Congo had made significant progress in terms of vaccination coverage, with a rate rising from 55.6% to 86% between 2005 and 2014. Thanks to this increase in vaccination coverage, the infant and child mortality rate has fallen, going from 117 to 52 deaths per 1,000 live births”, he recalled, inviting the population to show great support for this vaccination campaign.
Congo is the first country in Africa to launch a vaccination campaign against measles coupled with that against yellow fever.