WHO reports 1,800 cholera deaths in DR Congo — Interia

About 1,800 people have died of cholera in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this year, while the total number of registered cases stands at approximately 60,000. The World Health Organization reported this, according to Interia.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the current cholera outbreak in the country the worst in decades. According to the organization, the disease’s case fatality rate in the DR Congo is about 3%, which is high for cholera.

Most cases in the east of the country

According to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, most infections were detected in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu. Numerous armed groups operate in these regions, and some territories are controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 group.

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According to the WHO, the response to the spread of cholera, as well as to the Ebola outbreak, is complicated by the remoteness of certain areas and prolonged conflicts. The country is simultaneously battling an Ebola outbreak.

Risk to Kinshasa

Cholera cases are also being recorded along the Congo River basin. The WHO fears that the infection could spread to the country’s capital, Kinshasa, a densely populated city on the Congo River.

The organization warned that the rainy season could contribute to the further spread of the waterborne disease. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also stressed that the planned campaign to distribute Ebola vaccines, including in the conflict-affected east of the country, would also be important for combating cholera.