The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for more funding to stop what it has described as “the world’s worst measles epidemic” in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
More than 6,000 people have died of measles since the start of 2019, with 310,000 suspected measles cases reported.
According to a statement issued by the WHO, it said more than 18 million children under the age of five were vaccinated against the disease last year, but routine vaccination coverage remains low in some areas.
The WHO further said that the epidemic has been made worse by factors such as low vaccination levels in vulnerable communities, as well as malnutrition, weak public health systems in the country and outbreaks of other diseases, such as Ebola.
