Central African Republic: How MSF’s EURECA team strengthened their response to health emergencies in 2025
Rapid investigations and coordinated interventions support communities in need across the country.
Rapid response capacity is at the heart of MSF’s operations
Created in January 2014 and based in Bangui, EURECA – named for its French name Équipe d’Urgence en République centrafricaine – is Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)’s mobile emergency response team in Central African Republic (CAR). The team works to monitor, investigate and respond rapidly to medical and humanitarian emergencies throughout the country, including in the most isolated and difficult-to-reach areas.
In a country marked by recurrent crises, a structurally fragile health system and frequent outbreaks of epidemics, EURECA is a central pillar of MSF’s emergency preparedness and response plan.
2025: a year marked by strong operational response
In 2025, ten health and humanitarian emergency alerts were monitored across the country, resulting in six exploration and investigation assignments.
These were carried out in:
- Birao, for yellow fever and whooping cough alerts
- Gamboula, for a measles epidemic
- Kabo, for measles and meningitis epidemics
- Zemio and Bozoum, for displacement
- Bocaranga, where suspected cases of measles and other potentially epidemic diseases were reported.
These investigations made it possible to quickly direct the medical response and trigger two major interventions –in both Gamboula and Kabo – in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Population (MSP).
“These interventions demonstrate the importance of a rapid, mobile and well-coordinated response capacity.”
Alexandre Monnan, MSF medical coordinator in CAR
In Gamboula, the team responded following the official declaration of a measles epidemic by the MSP. This included vaccinating 19,721 children against measles, repairing three boreholes – including the sole borehole at the district hospital – and rehabilitating the district hospital’s waste management area.
The response also enabled the safe disposal of waste from vaccination activities and the referral of 16 patients to appropriate healthcare facilities, including children with severe acute malnutrition with complications and complicated measles cases.
After a measles epidemic was declared in Kabo, we launched a response that included a three-round multi-antigen vaccination campaign with enhanced support for the local health system. A total of 11,242 children were vaccinated against measles, 6,587 against meningitis, 3,995 against yellow fever and 1,147 pregnant women received the tetanus vaccine. At the same time, 15,541 children aged six months to five years underwent nutritional screening.
The team also supported the rehabilitation of the hospital’s waste disposal area, trained hygienists, donated personal protective equipment and supported the repair and installation of solar refrigerators and freezers in several health facilities.
EURECA is a pillar of emergency response in CAR
The interventions in Gamboula and Kabo were carried out with strong involvement from local and central health authorities, as well as active participation from management teams and health district staff – particularly in the preparation and implementation of vaccination campaigns.
“These interventions demonstrate the importance of a rapid, mobile and well-coordinated response capacity,” says Alexandre Monnan, MSF medical coordinator in CAR. “By working closely with teams from the Ministry of Health, we have been able to protect thousands of children from preventable diseases and strengthen epidemiological surveillance in areas where access to healthcare remains very limited.”
For the communities concerned, the impact is immediate. “We were worried before the team arrived because of the disease,” says a mother who came to have her child vaccinated in Kabo. “Today, my child is vaccinated and I feel reassured. Without this campaign, many children would have remained unprotected.”
The humanitarian situation in the country is not expected to improve in 2026. In January alone, EURECA responded to two alerts related to community displacement, notably in Zemio and Ouanda Djallé. With the reduction in health and humanitarian funding, many actors are reducing their presence in CAR. Furthermore, with recurrent low vaccination coverage in the country, epidemics will continue to strike mainly in remote areas. MSF will continue to provide support for rapid response to health emergencies throughout the country, including in the most isolated and difficult-to-reach areas.
