Health · Public Health & Disease · 5 hrs ago
Cholera outbreak kills about 1,800 in DR Congo this year, WHO says
Cholera has killed about 1,800 people in DR Congo this year, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
The country has recorded around 60,000 cases, in what the WHO chief called its worst cholera outbreak in decades.
Most infections have been reported in North and South Kivu in the east, where conflict makes some areas difficult to reach.
The waterborne disease could spread along the Congo River basin towards Kinshasa, the densely populated capital.
The WHO is concerned that the rainy season could help cholera spread, while the country is also facing a deadly Ebola outbreak.
Conflict and remote locations are making the response harder, and the WHO has warned that cholera could surge in areas already affected by Ebola.
The World Health Organization said cholera has killed about 1,800 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year.
Around 60,000 cases have been recorded, the WHO said on Wednesday, November 4.
Most infections have been detected in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called it the country’s worst cholera outbreak in decades.
The agency warned that cases could spread along the Congo River basin toward Kinshasa, amid conflict and the rainy season.
- Who
- The World Health Organization reported the outbreak; about 1,800 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died.
- What
- A cholera outbreak has caused about 1,800 deaths and around 60,000 recorded cases.
- When
- This year, as reported on Wednesday, November 4.
- Where
- The Democratic Republic of Congo, with most infections in North and South Kivu; cases have also been reported along the Congo River basin.
- Why
- The sources do not state a specific cause of the outbreak’s spread. The WHO warned that conflict, remote access and the rainy season are hampering the response or could aid spread.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Cholera killed around 1,800 people and about 60,000 cases were recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The WHO reported the toll and case count.
- Deaths
- Around 1,800
- Recorded cases
- Around 60,000
- Most affected provinces
- North Kivu and South Kivu
- Potential spread
- Congo River basin toward Kinshasa
2 sources
What people are saying
worst cholera outbreak in decades
But the concern is now there are also cases following the Congo river basin, which means that could stretch up to Kinshasa