[ad_1]
The ongoing measles epidemic in the Central African Republic (DRC) was declared in January 2020, and by the end of the year, 28,633 suspected cases with 137 associated deaths were reported. And the epidemic continued into 2021.
As of August 21, 2021, the DRC had reported around 2,049 cases of measles.
Over the years, routine and supplemental measles immunization coverage has been suboptimal in DRC.
Twenty-five percent of confirmed measles cases in 2021 are unvaccinated. And the administrative vaccination coverage at the national level remains below 70% in June 2021.
As a result, a national vaccination campaign targeting children up to 10 years of age was carried out in two phases in 2020.
“The country (DRC) must continue vaccination campaigns against vaccine-preventable diseases and strengthen mechanisms to ensure that these campaigns reach target populations in order to prevent further outbreaks of diseases such as measles,” says WHO.
The US CDC suggests that infants traveling abroad should receive a dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine before they leave for the DRC. This dose does not count as part of the routine childhood immunization series.
Separately, the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a meningitis epidemic in Tshopo province on September 8, 2021. The CDC recommends that travelers two months or older traveling to northeastern DRC get vaccinated against meningitis.
Anyone can get meningococcal disease, but people who live or travel in certain parts of the world are more likely to get it.
The “meningitis belt” of sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rates of meningococcal disease in the world. The disease is more common in this part of Africa during the dry season (December to June).
People with meningococcal disease pass the bacteria on to others through close personal contact, such as living together or kissing. The bacteria that cause meningococcal disease can also infect the blood, causing sepsis.
Getting the meningococcal vaccine is the best way to protect yourself against meningococcal disease. There are two types of meningococcal vaccines in the United States: the meningococcal vaccine ACWY (MenACWY); Meningococcal serogroup B vaccine (MenB).
Source link
