The measles epidemic ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than twice as many people since the beginning of the year as the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak, the United Nations has warned. Measles is preventable with a vaccine.
The measles epidemic ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed more than twice as many people since the beginning of the year as the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak, the United Nations has warned, calling for a strong response.
Measles, a preventable disease, has killed over 5,000 people in the central African nation since the beginning of 2019, while nearly 2,000 have died from Ebola during the same period, according to new figures released by UNICEF on Wednesday. Over 90% of the total measles deaths, or nearly 4,500 people, were children under the age of 5, according to UNICEF.
In Ebola outbreak, fear hinders treatment efforts 02:26The highly contagious virus is passed through direct contact or through the air and starts with a high fever. Young children who are malnourished, have vitamin A deficiency, or whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases are most susceptible to the disease, the World Health Organization said.
CNN travels to the epicenter of new Ebola outbreak 04:09UNICEF said the agency and partner organizations have distributed more than 1,300 measles kits containing antibiotics, rehydration salts and other medicines to the worst-affected areas but stressed the need for a comprehensive long-term plan for fighting the disease. Beigbeder said despite the high death toll, the measles epidemic hasn't drawn as much attention as the Ebola outbreak.
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