Amid political crisis the Democratic Republic of Congo is undergoing the worst cholera outbreak in past twenty years.
The epidemic broke out last year in July and since then more than 1,000 people have died. Torrential rainfall earlier this month has made the situation worst by causing mudslides and silting.
Capital city Kinshasa has been hit hard due to limited health and hygiene facilities.
Since the beginning of 2017 a total of 45,800 cases have been registered from 22 affected provinces. The urban areas including Uvira, Mokala, Minova, Bukavu, Bandundu, Manono, Goma and Kimpese have been hard hit.
In Kinshasa alone 32 deaths have been registered since November 25.
Kinshasa has a population of 12 million people and is Congo’s home to one in every six Congolese. It has lack of drinking water, health infrastructure and sanitation, and is highly vulnerable to cholera.
Cholera is linked to lack of hygiene, lack of clean water and lack of sanitation. The situation turns worst during rainy season or when there is heavy rain.
Currently Congo is facing lack of medicine and this has become one of the primary reasons of deaths from cholera that causes diarrhoea, dehydration and vomiting.
Meanwhile, Caritas Congo is working in promoting how to deal with personal and communal hygiene, and some other changes in behavior to help less spread of the water-borne disease.
Jean Liyolongo from the emergency pool of Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in Congo said, “Cholera is affecting the parts of Kinshasa that are densely populated, so it’s crucial to act quickly to prevent the spread of this epidemic.”