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Cholera outbreak hits DR Congo amid violence
A cholera outbreak in a sprawling refugee camp has spread to eastern Congo's provincial capital of Goma, increasing fears of an epidemic amid a tense standoff between government troops and rebels, officials said.
- Agencies
- Published: 00:01 November 12, 2008
Kibati: A cholera outbreak in a sprawling refugee camp has spread to eastern Congo's provincial capital of Goma, increasing fears of an epidemic amid a tense standoff between government troops and rebels, officials said.
Cholera cases rose slightly on Monday in the towns of Goma and Kibati, with at least 90 known cases and six new admissions overnight.
Officials with Doctors Without Borders said the cases they were treating were well-contained. Only four new ones were reported at the group's clinic in Kibati camp.
Outbreak
But dozens of people have died of cholera in recent weeks elsewhere in eastern Congo. Doctors also fear an epidemic behind rebel lines, where access has been limited by fighting and rebels have driven tens of thousands of people from camps where outbreaks had been contained.
Also, refugee conditions in many places continue to worsen.
In an unofficial refugee camp set up in Goma for park rangers and their families, some 900 people crowded into plastic tents - some smaller than a sport utility vehicle - and hungrily eyed six heavy sacks of beans donated by an international Catholic charity.
The humanitarian crisis exploded since rebel leader Laurent Nkunda launched an offensive on August 28, stopping his forces at the gates of Goma before declaring a ceasefire.
Do you think the world is failing to focus on diseases that have the potential of turning into epidemics because they are not politically dramatic enough? Is the African continent being forgotten? How can you, as an individual, help create more awareness about such issues? Do you know anybody who has travelled to Congo?
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