Mass measles vaccination program rolls out in Congo

Vaccination against measles and rubella is a priority for many families in the Republic of Congo. Huguette Makosso lives in Brazzaville with her two children.

She’s taking them to a health centre where they can receive the vaccine. A necessity in a country where measles and rubella vaccination coverage remains below the 90 percent required to eliminate the disease.

“ I grew up with my older sister in the Mpila district of Brazzaville. And we had a cousin for whom childhood immunization was not the priority. In 1999, she lost a child under the age of five to measles. My sister therefore asked us to always take the children to the hospital to see a paediatrician’‘, Makosso told our Congolese correspondent, Laudes Martial.

The measles and rubella vaccination campaign has been declared a national priority. Congolese President Denis Sassou N’Guesso launch the vaccination program on March 5. Over 2.2 million children will be vaccinated.

“ We have deployed more than 2,000 teams throughout the country and 8,000 vaccinaters in health centres. Then additional health posts in public places and schools”, said Colonel Alexis Mourou Moyoka, Director of the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI).

In addition to this strategy in health centres, the Republic of Congo’s expanded immunization programme is also based on an advanced strategy to reach the country’s landlocked areas.