DRC: Cholera killed over 800 people this year

By Alaattin Dogru

DAKAR (AA) - A cholera epidemic has killed 857 people since the beginning of the year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

According to a statement from the local office of the World Health Organization on Wednesday, cholera cases were detected in 21 of the 26 administrative regions of the country.

Some 25,170 cholera cases have been detected since the beginning of the year and 857 people have lost their lives.

Much of the outbreak occurred in areas with large rivers and drinking water problems.

Last year, more than 55,000 cases of cholera were detected in DRC and 190 people lost their lives due to the epidemic.

Cholera is a water-borne life-threatening disease. An estimated 1.4 billion people are at risk for cholera globally, with 2.8 million cases and 91,000 related deaths occurring every year.

Developing countries are disproportionately affected because of their lack of resources, infrastructure, and disaster preparedness systems.