Outbreak response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Despite several campaigns, immunity gaps still remain. Continuing cases from several virus strains in the country show that the battle to protect every child from paralysis is far from over. Here, a nurse carefully places vaccines vials back in a cooler during immunization activities in Manono. It is critical that the polio vaccine is kept cool, a considerable challenge in warm locations far from the nearest vaccine storage facility.

A small boy is vaccinated against polio after waiting in line with his mother. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has some of the lowest vaccination rates worldwide, and it is hoped that the lessons learned in overcoming this and other health emergencies will help strengthen the country’s health system for the future, and prevent other outbreaks.

A community mobilizer tells a woman in a village in Manono about the polio vaccination campaign that has just begun. Community mobilizers, usually local people trained by UNICEF and partners, are a critical part of efforts to ensure that every child is protected from the virus. Going house to house, they speak to parents about the dangerous poliovirus, and answer questions about the vaccine. Often, they also provide other health service support, including child and maternal health advice.

A girl has her little finger marked after being vaccinated against polio. All children under the age of five are being targeted in vaccination campaigns in the affected districts.

Amongst the communities here, there are children whom the virus has already reached. Remy Muyombi was previously an opponent of vaccination. Since his three-year-old son Justin was affected by polio paralysis, he has become a strong advocate of the campaigns ongoing in his district. So far in 2018, there have been eleven confirmed cases of polio paralysis due to the outbreak. In 2017, 22 children were paralyzed.

A community health worker crosses a shallow stream with his bike to reach the most distant children in Manono health zone. Many communities here live hours from the nearest road, far from any route that a car could easily traverse.

After a household is visited with vaccines, health workers mark the home with chalk to show that the children there have been immunized. They also collect paper records of vaccination, to feed back into a central monitoring and evaluation system coordinated by WHO.

Community mobilizers speak to a mother in Kalunga site for internally displaced people in Tanganyika Province. Regular movement of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo complicates outbreak response, as there is a real threat of virus spread. The programme works specifically with moving and displaced populations to boost immunization rates, and collaborates with other UN agencies to gather up-to-date information on population movements and the wider humanitarian situation in the country.

A girl is vaccinated against polio in Manono. With each campaign, the polio eradication programme is looking to protect more children, and get closer to ending the outbreak. More polio immunization activities are planned for the coming months, building on commitment from the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and provincial governors. Working with other programmes, and in complex contexts, the polio eradication teams continue their work to keep every child safe from polio paralysis.