Cholera ‘rapidly spreading ‘across Democratic Republic of Congo

Over 58,000 suspected cases and more than 1,700 deaths have been recorded so far this year, says MSF

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - A cholera epidemic is rapidly spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo amid unequipped medical facilities, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Tuesday, calling for a swift coordinated international humanitarian response to contain the disease’s spread.

In a brief, MSF said 20 of the country's 26 provinces are now affected.

Citing data from the country’s Health Ministry, MSF said that from January to mid-October, more than 58,000 suspected cases and more than 1,700 deaths have been recorded.

The most affected areas include Fizi in South Kivu and Kongakonga in Tshopo province.

“Wherever our teams are working, the situation is alarming: existing structures are not equipped to deal with cholera, and there is a shortage of medical supplies and vaccines,” said Ton Berg, MSF program manager in South Kivu.

“We are working with local Health Ministry staff to try to contain the disease. But the scale of the crisis requires urgent mobilization of all partners, even in remote areas. The Congolese government and humanitarian agencies must strengthen financial and medical resources, particularly the distribution and delivery of vaccines, as well as the emergency response mechanism to support the fight against cholera.”

MSF decried the worsening situation, saying that the disease is spreading to new health zones, including provinces where cholera was not previously endemic.

It said floods, conflicts and displacement as well as inadequate sanitation and water supply systems have contributed to fueling widespread epidemics of water-borne diseases.

The charity also warned that as the rainy season approaches, the situation is likely to deteriorate, further increasing the risk of disease transmission and contamination.

A major cholera outbreak has swept through more than 20 African countries including Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia and Congo due to poor sanitation and climate-related flooding, with over 4,200 deaths recorded since January, the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa said early this month.

MSF said poor hygiene conditions, insufficient access to clean water and lack of sanitation could be responsible for the disease’s spread.

A bacterial infection, cholera is caused by consuming contaminated water or food.

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