The African country has at least one million unvaccinated infants and two million have only partially received the necessary doses, according to the Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Security, Roger Kamba.

The government makes an annual investment of more than 18 million dollars for the purchase of immunogens and the strengthening of the health system, however, the Congolese vaccination system remains fragile due to the lack of infrastructure, conflicts and misinformation, he said.

The coordinator of the National Council for Universal Health Coverage, Polydore Mbongani Kabila, remarked that most infectious diseases and some non-communicable diseases, such as cervical cancer, are preventable through vaccination.

At a forum on the subject, held in Kinshasa under the theme ‘Immunization, nutrition and the fight against cervical cancer’, he insisted on the need for the commitment of authorities at all levels to improve vaccination coverage.

The meeting, held Wednesday and Thursday, aimed to identify concrete mechanisms to accelerate vaccination, improve immunization coverage and better control preventable epidemics, including polio and cervical cancer.

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