Misisi – An outbreak of cholera has already caused the death, since Saturday, of 10 people in the province of South Kivu, east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo), announced today (Tuesday) local health sources.
The 10 deaths, in a total of 32 cases, were reported in Misisi, in the territory of Fizi, and the populations in the area were warned to respect the essential hygiene rules to contain the outbreak.
“The situation is not good,” said Masine Kinenwa, provincial health minister.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), since the beginning of the year 7,736 suspected cases of cholera have been registered, causing 148 deaths, in 16 of the 26 provinces of the DRCongo.
Quoted by the press, Kinenwa explained that “active outbreaks continue to be registered in the south-east (Tanganica, Haut-Lomami) and in the east (South Kivu) and the response actions have been intensified”.
“The International Medical Corps has already set up a treatment center,” said the government official, adding that an emergency meeting was held on Monday in Bukavu with the WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the organization non-governmental Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
“An MSF team is on its way to Misisi to set up another cholera treatment center,” he said.
Maisha Kanoko, a nurse at the Saint-Joseph health centre, who registered at least 15 cases on Saturday alone, also said that “the situation is quite complicated”.
“Several infected people in their communities arrive at the hospital in serious condition,” he added.
According to Cos Kenemo, head doctor of the Kimbi-Lulenge health zone, “the first case came in the village of Miba, close to the mining areas”.
“With the affected area without drinking water, we ask the population to boil water and cook food before consuming”, advised the doctor, who also called for “regular hand hygiene”, to abstain “from consuming food sold outdoors without before washing them and not transporting corpses on motorcycles, as this is a contagion factor”.
Source: Angola Press News Agency