Successful Vaccination Campaign in the Democracy Republic of Congo: more than 328 000 children vaccinated in 7 days.
 
On the 29th of  August, with the  help of DoW,  the Congolese  Authorities  launched a massive vaccination campaign in an attempt to halt the progress of a measles epidemic in the Tanganyika region. In one week 328 731 children from 6 months to 5 years old were vaccinated. 
 
For  the past few  months, the Tanganyika region has suffered  from a serious  measles epidemic. At the beginning of August there were 6644 cases and 140 deaths. In order to halt the spread, the authorities launched a mass vaccination campaign. 
 
DoW was already working on the ground, with a programme offering primary healthcare, when the government called on the team to help organise this ambitious campaign.
 
For 7 days, from 29th August to the 4th September, the teams vaccinated children from 6 months to 5  years old  in 11  health zones  in the Tanganyika region. In total, 328 731 children were vaccinated, representing a 93% coverage for the district as a whole. 
 
The logistics involved reflect the geographic and administrative complexity of the region itself: 410 teams made up of 5 members each (over 2000 people) set out on foot, bicycle and  by canoe and covered the  vast 150 723km2  area. All the  necessary equipment had been transported a few days earlier by plane, train, and in boats and in trucks in order to ensure they preserved their effectiveness.