Under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Congo, His Excellency Denis SASSOU NGUESSO, the Government of Congo launched today a measles and rubella vaccination campaign, which aims to provide protection to more than 2.2 million children. This campaign, which targets boys and girls aged 9 months to 14 years will cover 43% of the country’s population and will also include Vitamin A supplementation and mebendazole deworming for children aged 9 to 59 months.

The launch took place at the Blanche Gomez Maternal and Children’s Hospital in Brazzaville.

Minister of Health and Population, Lydia Mikolo, stressed that “the health of the Congolese people in general and that of children in particular remains a priority for the Government. The Government will spare no effort to ensure that every Congolese child is in the best possible state of health and well-being. Vaccination plays an essential role in reaching this objective.”

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Health and Population, the initiative is part of the implementation of the Global Strategic Plan for the Elimination of Measles and Rubella 2012-2020, which is receiving technical and financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

This launch will be followed later this week by the introduction of two doses of the combined measles and rubella (RR) vaccine into the Republic of Congo’s routine vaccination schedule, which is part of the global strategic plan.

In 2018, 98 countries worldwide reported more cases of measles than in 2017, marking a setback in the progress made in the fight against this highly preventable but potentially fatal disease. The vaccine is safe and effective.

For more information please visit https://www.afro.who.int