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AFP
The disease has spread to all regions of DR Congo
More than 800,000 children need to be vaccinated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after a measles epidemic has killed more than 3,500 people this year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Congolese government aim to carry out the emergency program nationwide in little more than a week.
The WHO says the epidemic is the largest and fastest in the world.
He killed more Congolese this year than the Ebola virus.
Despite previous vaccinations, the disease has spread to all parts of the country.
Lack of systematic access to vaccines and health care has contributed to the problem.
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"The DRC is in a difficult situation because routine immunization has not allowed too many children," said Dr Deo Nshimirimana, WHO representative in the DRC.
"[The outbreak] is deadly because case management is not there, "he told BBC Newsday.
"We do not really have the resources to prevent the disease and to try to prevent deaths, so … measles is a very lethal disease in this country, we do our best to prevent the disease, but also resources to get supplies so that we can handle the cases. "
Each of the 26 provinces in the country has reported cases of measles and is fighting to control the outbreak, which was declared by the Ministry of Health on June 10.
Insecurity
The campaign aims to vaccinate about 825,000 children in 24 regions over a nine-day period, the agency said.
As of 17 September, 183,837 suspected cases of measles (5,989 confirmed) had been reported in 192 of the country's 519 health zones, including 3,667 deaths – more than the number of deaths due to Ebola. caused by children, "said the WHO in a statement.
In the east of the country, the Ebola virus has claimed the lives of more than 2,100 people since it erupted last August and is the second largest epidemic ever recorded.
The most important was the epidemic that ravaged parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016, killing more than 11,000 people.
The DRC has struggled to control the epidemic, due to insecurity in the east of the country and suspicion of treatment to the population.
Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that can sometimes lead to serious health complications, including lung and brain infections.
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