Measles Epidemic: 315 Dead, at Least 20,000 Infected

At least 315 people have died and 20,000 have been infected with measles in the Congolese province of Katanga, the UN reported today, according to the Patria news agency.

It is feared that the death toll may be higher, but there is no documented evidence due to the difficult access of doctors to remote regions, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.

"The measles epidemic in Katanga province is only worsening and spreading," OCHA stated, adding that more than $2.4 million will be needed for vaccination and treatment of the infected.

In the 2010-2011 epidemic, 1,085 people died and 77,000 were infected, according to data published in the scientific journal BMC Infectious Diseases.

The part of Katanga where copper and cobalt mines are located has been spared by previous epidemics because they are hundreds of kilometers south of the hardest-hit parts of the country.

Mortality from measles infection is low in developed countries, but in poor and developing countries it can rise to 20 percent, Doctors Without Borders reported. In developed countries, vaccinating a child against measles costs about one dollar.