At least 192 deaths, over 3,000 cases of cholera in Congo since March - UN

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At least 192 deaths, over 3,000 cases of cholera in Congo since March - UN

2011-07-14 06:59:11 GMT+7 (ICT)

UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) -- At least 192 people have died in over 3,000 cases of cholera that have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since March, according to a United Nations (UN) report released on Wednesday.

The disease was first reported in the north-eastern city of Kisangani, from where it spread downstream along River Congo, to the provinces of Equateur, Bandundu and the capital, Kinshasa, the UN said.

DRC's Bandundu has remained the worst affected province, with 1,271 cases and 72 deaths as of last week, but cholera has been spreading quickly in Kinshasa, the UN Office for the Coordination of the Humanitarian Affairs said.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners are helping the Government to organize hygiene promotion campaigns, set up water chlorination points and to ensure that those infected get free treatment, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Martin Nesirky, said.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the bacterium known as vibrio cholerae. The disease has a short incubation period and produces a toxin that causes continuous watery diarrhea, a condition that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not administered promptly. Vomiting also occurs in most patients.

The disease remains a global threat and is one of the key indicators of social development, according to WHO. While cholera no longer poses a threat to countries with high standards of hygiene, it remains a challenge in countries with limited access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation.

In June, WHO reported more than 18,000 new cases of cholera in Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic. Since October 2010. The country has been facing the epidemic while still recovering from a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake which struck near Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, killing up to 316,000 people and leaving more than 1.5 million others homeless.

According to data from the Haitian Ministry of Public Health, there have been 344,623 confirmed cases of cholera since the epidemic began. Among them are at least 5,397 deaths which have been attributed to the disease.

In the Dominican Republic, the health ministry reported that since the first cases were reported in the country late last year, there have been 1,727 confirmed cases, including 46 deaths.

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