Mass Vaccination Campaign Launches in Mbandaka to Stop Cholera Spread
The DRC is also experiencing its worst cholera epidemic in decades.
warned Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization, as health authorities initiated an urgent, large-scale vaccination campaign in Mbandaka on November 6, 2026. The effort targets nearly 1.5 million people across nine intensely affected health zones in the Équateur province to combat an epidemic that has already claimed 18 lives out of 142 recorded cases in the region.
Teams of vaccinators are traversing neighborhoods and villages to immunize residents aged one year and older. The official launch took place at the Mbandaka 2 central market under the direction of Body Robert Ilonga Bompoko, secretary general at the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The operation is managed by the Ministry of Health with backing from the National Cholera Elimination Program and the “Congo River Without Cholera” project, backed by funding from Gavi, the WHO, and UNICEF. At the opening of the campaign, health officials stressed the importance of community participation to achieve the set objectives. Interim provincial governor Thomas Boyenge Ifaso called on local authorities, community leaders, and health partners to support the teams deployed on the ground, and expressed a wish for future vaccination phases to include other health zones affected by the disease.
Healthcare Worker Strikes and Shortages Treaten Treatment Centers
While vaccination efforts move forward, local medical facilities face severe strain from ongoing labor disputes and supply shortages. According to a provincial health bulletin, the cholera treatment centers in Bolenge and Wangata are running short of beds, chlorine stocks, testing kits, and essential medications. Healthcare providers have also joined a broader national strike that began on October 15, demanding unpaid bonuses that have remained unresolved since the outbreak started.
Despite the paralyzed health sector, local medical unions agreed on November 2 to allow nurses and health agents to participate in the Mbandaka immunization drive as a humanitarian measure. Alain Lingoma, coordinator of the Équateur health inter-union, emphasized that the strike remains active even though workers stepped in for the door-to-door vaccinations running through November 15. Standard hospital services and administrative offices remain shut down due to the ongoing walkout. To support the response against cholera, health authorities call on the government and technical and financial partners to step up their backing, focusing on the availability of medical products and support for ongoing operations.
Escalating Crisis Across Eastern Provinces and Regional Risks
The outbreak in Équateur compounds a nationwide public health emergency. The WHO reported that nationwide cases have surpassed 60,000 with 1,800 deaths since the beginning of the year. While eastern provinces like North Kivu and South Kivu bear the brunt of the infections, officials warn that transmission along the Congo River basin increases the risk of the disease reaching Kinshasa. In North Kivu’s Walikale territory, the Itebero health zone alone reported 989 suspected cases and 61 deaths in 2026, according to data shared by chief medical doctor Alain Tubibu. According to epidemiological data covering weeks 36 to 43, the spread of the disease has accelerated significantly in recent weeks. Epidemiological week 43 alone recorded 273 suspected cases and 17 deaths, compared with 167 cases and 12 deaths the previous week. The Lukaraba health zone is the hardest hit with 421 suspected cases and 14 deaths, followed by Kiuli with 135 cases and 11 deaths, and Isangi with 114 cases and 7 deaths. Busurungi also totals 87 suspected cases and 4 deaths. On the biological front, a single sample taken in the Lowa health zone, with support from MSF Holland, tested positive for cholera. The apparent case fatality rate in Itebero sits at 6.17 percent.
Eligibility rules for the Mbandaka vaccine campaign
Who is eligible to receive the vaccine during the Mbandaka campaign?
The current phase targets all individuals aged one year and older living within the nine designated health zones in the Équateur province, administered via door-to-door visits by mobile health teams.
How many health zones are covered in the Équateur province immunization drive?
While initial reports indicated nine zones for the immediate rollout, the broader door-to-door campaign from November 6 to November 15 spans 15 out of the 18 affected health zones in the province.
What financial and logistical partners are supporting the response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
The response benefits from financial support from Gavi, the WHO, and UNICEF. The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, whose members are the WHO, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Médecins Sans Frontières, with financial support from Gavi, approved the allocation of 7.4 million vaccine doses for 2026.
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