Kinshasa, February 9th, 2026 (CPA).- 12,960 (twelve thousand nine hundred and sixty) cases of measles have been reported since the beginning of 2026 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the Ministry in charge of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare, in a statement received on Monday by CPA. ‘The measles epidemic is reaching alarming proportions with 12,960 cases and 157 deaths since the beginning of 2026. In week 05 (January 26th to February 1st), 3,165 new cases have been reported. Six provinces, including Sud-Ubangi and Kivu, are the most affected,’ it is read. According to the source, to reverse this trend, a catch-up vaccination campaign is planned for next March, targeting more than 22 million children aged 6 months to 14 years in 11 provinces, including Kinshasa and Equateur.
With regard to cholera, the source has indicated that the areas of high transmission are the provinces of Sud-Kivu, Haut-Lomami and Nord-Kivu. ‘Although a slight decrease of 6.2% in cases has been noted in SE05 (1,369 cases compared to 1,472 in SE04), the incidence remains high (more than 500 cases/week). In Kinshasa, there is a trend towards the spread of the epidemic despite an overall decline,’ the statement has noted.
In addition, the source has specified that a WHO team has been deployed to ensure vaccination against this disease in Kinshasa. As for Mpox, the Ministry in charge of Public Health has noted that the province of Haut-Katanga is going through a critical phase. ‘There has been an explosion in positivity, with the positivity rate jumping to 58% at the beginning of the year, well above the national average of 39%, and the virus is taking hold in dense urban areas of Lubumbashi and strategic border points,’ it has explained. Faced with the risk of exponential growth of the disease in this province, the source has insisted that a massive and coordinated response is imperative within the next 15 days.
The Congolese government and its health partners are calling on the population for vigilance, compliance with hygiene measures and vaccination.