Democratic Republic of Congo : Cholera kills 11 in Lubumbashi

The health authorities report that in the space of two weeks, more than 300 cases have been reported and a dozen deaths.

Divine KANANYET/who.int

Of the 329 cases notified, there were 11 deaths, including 7 community deaths and 4 intra-CTC deaths,” explains Joseph Sambi Bulanda, Minister of Health in Haut-Katanga. He also said that the provincial government and its partners are working hard to ensure the treatment. “The treatment is free, as always. There is the government and the support of Médecins Sans Frontières. The population of Lubumbashi
must observe general hygiene measures to avoid this disease,” he said in substance after several meetings with partners in Lubumbashi while calling on the population to respect protective measures. “Cholera is a disease of dirty hands and it is by making our environment clean that we can fight against this disease and everything we consume, boil water. Once you have vomit of any kind, you have to go to the hospital first so that the health service can tell if it is cholera or not. According to the authorities, the cholera epidemic in the city of Lubumbashi is mainly experienced in two health zones, namely those of Katuba and Kisanga, two agglomerations located in the communes of Katuba and Annex, with a high concentration of the population. Indeed, WHO reports that on 14 December 2022, a cholera epidemic was officially declared by the Governor of the province of North Kivu, following the isolation of Vibrio cholerae from 140 of the 247 samples taken from suspected cases in the health zone of Nyiragongo. As of 4 February 2023, a total of 4,386 cholera cases, including 1,009 laboratory-confirmed cases, with 16 deaths and a case-fatality rate of 0.4%, have been reported. A multisectoral community response was implemented, including a cholera vaccination campaign. Given the fragile context in which this outbreak is occurring, ongoing armed conflict with new displacements, concurrent epidemics,
lack of access to health care, poor drinking water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, and population movements between affected health areas and neighbouring countries, WHO considers the risk posed by this outbreak to be high at the national and regional levels and low at the global level.
Preventive hygiene For the response, the Incident Management System (IMS) has been activated in the WHO office. A budgeted preparedness
and response plan has been developed and several partners are involved, including WHO, which is supporting the Provincial Health Division (PHD) in implementing the health sector response in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other partners. In addition, a surveillance and laboratory commission has been established by the North Kivu Provincial Health Division with support from WHO and other partners and four data managers
have been trained and equipped with computers by WHO. Training on case definition
was provided to health workers and community caregivers, and survey teams were also trained in active case finding. In addition, WHO recommends improving access to appropriate and timely cholera case management, improving access to safe water and sanitation facilities, and improving
hospital-based infection control. These measures, along with the promotion
of preventive hygiene and food safety practices in affected communities, are the most effective strategy to combat cholera