MSF tackling measles in DRC, currently the biggest active outbreak worldwide
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
Since mid-2018, a massive measles outbreak has been ravaging through the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The outbreak was belatedly declared in June 2019 and has turned into the biggest measles outbreak of the past ten years in DRC and the biggest currently active worldwide.
Over 310,000 people have been infected and more than 6,000 have died over the past year alone – three quarters of the deceased are children. This case fatality rate, hovering around 2%, is twice as high as it was in measles outbreak in previous years. All 26 provinces of the country have been affected by the outbreak.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) teams are working in various areas of DRC to participate to the response; at different times over the past two years, they have been active in patient care, vaccination campaigns to prevent the spread of the disease and surveillance activities to identify new areas of the epidemic and start the intervention as early as possible. They have set up dedicated facilities such as the laboratory opened at the end of 2019 in Lumbubashi, south-eastern DRC, in order to ensure a faster, more effective turnaround of lab analyses.
An MSF team is currently working in the province of Kongo Central, one of the main hotspots of the epidemic today. The intervention in this area began in December 2019 and has been targeting the health zones (currently four) where the highest numbers of cases of measles have been reported. The team is providing care for complicated cases in dedicated treatment centres, supporting local health centres to deal with non-complicated cases, contributing to surveillance and facilitating transfers of patients to health care facilities. Some of the main challenges we face are the complications linked with associated diseases (such as malaria or malnutrition), which increase the risk of mortality, and gaining access to remote, hard-to-reach areas.
Esperance, Vainqueur's mother, 15 months, brought him to the health center the previous day because he had a fever and rashes on his body. She discovered that he had measles when they arrived at the center. Only a day after his arrival, his mother is happy, he is already getting better. They come from the city of Matadi. Photographer: Solen Mourlon/MSF
Lutumba is 14 months old. She arrived on December 25 evening with fever, cough and diarrhea. She has measles and is being treated at the Muanda Measles Treatment Center (CTR).
She will remain in the CTR for 3 days under observation and will then follow 3 days of outpatient treatment before being fully cured. Photographer: Solen Mourlon/MSF
Romain is a nurse, specialist in vaccination.
MSF medical teams have trained all “infirmiers titulaires” (IT) in the Seke Banza health zone to understand the zone as best as possible before opening operations.
The aim of this session was to train IT staff to recognize measles, to remind them of the care to be given and to inform them about the referral system for complicated cases. MSF teams took the opportunity to point out how best to collect patient data, which is crucial for epidemiologists to monitor the epidemic.
Romain is a nurse specialist in vaccination. He draw the map of the Seke Banza health zone in order to visualize the challenges of the lack of accessibility and to prepare a potential measles vaccination. Photographer: Solen Mourlon/MSF
A new patient has just arrived at the Matadi measles treatment center. Dr Ousmane and Thérèse, the nurse supervisor, installs his catheter. Photographer: Solen Mourlon/MSF