Eastern DRC hospitals face vaccine shortage

In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly in the regions of Beni and Butembo, parents find it difficult to vaccinate their children. Health care providers have reported months of vaccine supply shortages, leaving thousands of children unvaccinated. Parents worried about their children’s health are calling on authorities to quickly address the issue.

In the town of Butembo, the vaccination program has been halted. Kambale Wangahikya, head nurse in the Makasi health zone, confirmed that some areas in North Kivu did not have the vaccine.

He said they were missing several vaccines, such as those against pneumonia and to help children with coughs, as well as those against meningitis and mumps. All children, born and unborn, remain at risk, he said.

This situation creates frustration for breastfeeding women. One mother, Kasoki, is worried because her young son has not received the BCG vaccine, which protects against tuberculosis.

She said she has a 4-month-old baby who is having trouble getting BCG and other vaccines. She went to the hospital four times with no results. The doctor scheduled her several appointments, but when she arrived, she could find almost nothing. She fears her child will develop a serious illness.

Another mother, Stephanie, said she made multiple trips to the health facility to vaccinate her children. She said her son had not received his first dose of the vaccine until last week. She told us about the fear she felt.

She said she felt very sad because the vaccine she had been looking for was so important for her child because if he didn’t get it, he would face disabilities and diseases when he grows up. She said health authorities should force themselves to introduce the vaccine because such shortages could cause problems for children later on.

Kasoki Defrose, a nurse at the Beni University Clinic, said not vaccinating children could have an impact on the physical health of newborns. She said local authorities were working to cope with the shortage.

If children don’t get the polio vaccine, for example, they risk becoming weak and their muscles won’t be strengthened, she said. She said authorities intended to deal with the shortage as quickly as possible.

Officials of the Beni health district, which oversees dozens of hospitals in the region, said more than 1,000 children were waiting to be vaccinated in several towns in the Beni and Butembo regions.