Yellow fever: Huge mobilisation to vaccinate millions in Democratic Republic of the Congo
The world’s largest yellow fever vaccination effort has come to the urban sprawl that is the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) capital, Kinshasa. In August, authorities hoped to vaccinate those most at risk among the 10.5 million people living there, and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has mobilised massive resources in support.
Late last year a yellow fever outbreak struck the Angolan capital, Luanda, and soon cases were also reported in Kinshasa, leading to a total of over 400 deaths.
In Kinshasa, MSF teams were responsible for vaccinating 760 000 people — 10% of the city’s 7.5 million vaccination target — in three health zones. In partnership with the DRC’s ministry of health, MSF undertook this large-scale vaccination campaign during August. It was the biggest yellow fever vaccination campaign that MSF teams had ever run or participated in.
In Kinshasa, MSF staff co-ordinated the work of 100 teams of 16 people each, in three of the city’s health zones, to curtail the outbreak. In rolling out this campaign, the MSF team provided management, logistics, supervision and vaccines. MSF flew in 58 international staff from 19 countries and deployed over 100 local employees countrywide as part of the vaccination campaign.
“Considering that there is a very safe and effective vaccine, this campaign is an essential step to containing the spread of the outbreak, but vigilance will remain crucial in the upcoming months,” said Axelle Ronsse, MSF’s emergency co-ordinator.
A total of 1 700 staff from the DRC’s ministry of health worked alongside MSF i n three health zones, including nurses, who were administering the vaccine shots.
MSF Southern African staffer Monica Genya joined the vaccination team as supply co-ordinator on the project. She witnessed firsthand the huge logistical challenge of ensuring that the yellow fever vaccines remain in the “cold chain”. This refers to the shipping, storing and transport of vaccines between 2°C to 8°C from the point of manufacture until reaching the recipient, to avoid vaccines spoiling. Achieving this was a tremendous undertaking in the tropical heat and humid conditions of Kinshasa.
“The teams had to deploy 4 000 ice packs and coolers in various locations and also had to manage the movements of a fleet of 65 vehicles travelling in densely populated neighbourhoods,” said Genya.
In addition, MSF teams were also responsible for training health staff to care for yellow fever patients and prepared selected hospitals for case management. Thousands of homes were also fumigated to combat mosquitoes, which carry and transmit the virus.