Oral cholera vaccine coverage in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2022, following 2019-2020 targeted preventative mass campaigns.

BACKGROUND: In 2019-2020, preventative Oral Cholera Vaccine campaigns were conducted in 24/32 non-contiguous health areas of Goma, DR Congo. In August 2022, we measured coverage and factors potentially influencing success of the delivery strategy.

METHODS: We used random geo-sampled stratified cluster survey to estimate OCV coverage and assess population movement, diarrhea history, and reasons for non-vaccination.

RESULTS: 603 households were visited. Coverage with at least one dose was 46.4 % (95 %CI: 41.8-51.0), and 50.1 % (95 %CI: 45.4-54.8) in areas targeted by vaccination compared to 26.3 % (95 %CI: 19.2-34.9) in non-targeted areas. Additionally, 7.0 % of participants reported moving from outside Goma since 2019, and 5.4 % reported history of severe diarrhea. Absence and unawareness were the main reasons for non-vaccination.

CONCLUSION: Results suggest that targeting non-contiguous urban areas had a coverage-diluting effect. Targeting entire geographically contiguous areas, adapted distribution, and regular catch-up campaigns are operational recommendations to reach higher coverages arising from the study.

© 2024 The Author(s).