DRC - Measles outbreak 2026

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South Kivu: Despite Ebola, MSF remains committed to ensuring access to essential care

Press releases
July 20, 2026

The Ebola virus disease outbreak, declared on May 15, 2026, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), occurred within a context already marked by a series of health and humanitarian crises. While other epidemics continue to claim victims and armed conflict limits access to healthcare for thousands of people, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) calls for attention not to be diverted from other vital health needs and reaffirms its commitment to maintaining essential care, particularly in the province of South Kivu.

“This epidemic is not unfolding in a healthcare vacuum,” explains Issa Moussa, MSF’s head of programs in South Kivu. “The lessons learned from previous outbreaks are clear: concentrating all efforts on a single emergency can have dramatic consequences. When basic healthcare is disrupted, more people are likely to die from preventable diseases than from the epidemic itself.”
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MSF's emergency teams remain mobilized in South Kivu and Maniema, as well as in the rest of the country. They maintain continuous monitoring of health alerts and deploy rapidly to respond to epidemics and other emergencies. Currently, they are responding to a measles outbreak in the Shabunda health zone, where the case fatality rate has reached an alarming 25%. Between April and June 2026, nearly 2,320 measles patients were treated in the Shabunda, Bunyakiri, Kalehe, and Minova health zones. In parallel, a vaccination campaign conducted in April in Kalehe immunized 43,622 children against the disease, while another 6,059 received catch-up multi-antigen vaccinations.

"The fight against an epidemic and the maintenance of essential care must go hand in hand," concludes Issa Moussa.

https://www.msf.org/fr/rdcongo/sud-...ée-pour-garantir-l’accès-aux-soins-essentiels

 

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DRC: More than 50,820 suspected cases of measles reported in North Kivu and South Kivu between January and July 2026

Mon 17/08/2026 - 14:49

More than 50,820 suspected cases of measles were reported in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu between January and July 19, 2026, according to official data cited by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Nationally, the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded over 108,643 suspected cases of measles and 1,394 deaths during the same period. Nearly half of these cases, more than 50,820, were concentrated in the two Kivu provinces.

This health crisis comes at a time when eastern DRC is also facing an Ebola virus disease epidemic. For MSF, however, the significant mobilization around this epidemic must not lead to a reduction in attention and resources devoted to other health emergencies, particularly measles, cholera, and malaria.

As part of its response to the measles outbreak, Doctors Without Borders reports having carried out six interventions in North Kivu and South Kivu. The most recent interventions took place in Walikale, North Kivu, and Shabunda, South Kivu.

According to the organization, these interventions have made it possible to treat more than 12,050 patients and to vaccinate more than 283,150 children.

Measles is not the only disease that continues to threaten populations in North and South Kivu. According to data cited by MSF, the DRC had recorded more than 35,464 suspected cases of cholera and more than 1,051 deaths. Of these reported cases, 14,819 were concentrated in North and South Kivu.

In Goma, MSF teams were mobilized against a cholera outbreak between May and early August 2026. In total, more than 2,410 people with cholera were treated in facilities supported by the organization.

Doctors Without Borders believes that these various health emergencies must continue to be addressed simultaneously. The organization emphasizes that the populations of eastern DRC are already living in a context marked by armed conflict, population displacement, and difficulties in accessing healthcare.

Faced with this situation, MSF calls for the maintenance of care and funding dedicated to the various health crises in order to avoid the Ebola response being at the expense of other health needs in North Kivu and South Kivu.

Josué Mutanava, in Goma

https://actualite.cd/2026/08/17/rdc...le-signales-au-nord-kivu-et-au-sud-kivu-entre