At least 4,000 cases, 24 deaths from measles in Kinshasa

A measles epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo capital, Kinshasa, has resulted in 24 deaths out of over 4,000 cases recorded since the outbreak of the disease at the beginning of the year, Dr Jean Kintwanda of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said. "The epidemic began in the eastern neighbourhoods of the city and is now moving towards the centre and western districts," he told IRIN. "The mortality rate is 0.8 percent." The eastern neighbourhoods affected coincide with those found to be food insecure by UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme, and the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. UNICEF has reported that 60 percent of children affected by measles are in the age category of five years and under, while 40 percent are in the age bracket of six to 15 years. "These figures bear witness to the effectiveness of vaccination, and they show that children who have been vaccinated are better protected," Kintwanda said. To fight the epidemic, an accelerated vaccination campaign has been launched in Kinshasa. A similar campaign is scheduled to begin in Kongolo, some 700 km north of Lubumbashi in the southeastern province of Katanga, where a measles outbreak was reported two weeks ago.