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

• Published in: Vaccine: X 2024-10, Vol.20, p.100555, Article 100555
• Main Authors: Briskin, Emily, Bateyi Mustafa, Stéphane Hans, Mahamba, Rachel, Kabunga, Deka, Kubuya, Janvier, Porten, Klaudia, Akilimali, Laurent, Okitayemba Welo, Placide, Broban, Anaïs
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cholera; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Oral cholera vaccine; Short communication; Targeted vaccination; Vaccine coverage survey
• ISSN: 2590-1362; 2590-1362
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2024.100555

•Oral cholera vaccine (OCV) coverage in Goma urban area was 46.3 % two years post-campaign.•Micro-targeting of non-contiguous urban zones led to dilution of coverage.•Population movements and displacement created challenges for maintaining coverage.•Door to door strategies should account for people being away during the day. 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. We used random geo-sampled stratified cluster survey to estimate OCV coverage and assess population movement, diarrhea history, and reasons for non-vaccination. 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. 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.