According to health authorities, more than 500 cases, including 26 deaths, have been reported over the past three months in several health zones in Kolwezi
According to health authorities, more than 500 cases, including 26 deaths, have been reported over the past three months in several health zones in Kolwezi, the world capital of cholera, and in Lualaba, where a cholera epidemic is wreaking havoc. It all began in the town of Bunkeya. The epidemic then spread to Fungurume and Lualaba province.
“Since the 39th epidemiological week of 2023, the Bunkeya, Fungurume and Lualaba health zones have been facing a cholera epidemic”, Dr Francis Kambol, head of the Lualaba provincial health division, told Actualité.cd.
According to him, the high mortality rate is justified by the delay in treating reported cases. Several suspected cases have been identified in the Manika health zone in Kolwezi, as well as in the Kanzenze health zone in Mutshatsha territory.
One of the reasons for the outbreak is the mismanagement of household waste.
Dr. Francis Kambol reminds us that respecting the rules of hygiene remains the principal means of combating cholera. One of the reasons for this epidemic outbreak is the poor management of household waste, which is very often dumped in gutters and then washed onto public roads or tributaries.
According to the health authorities, medical treatment for cholera remains free of charge in all treatment centers. In 2023, the DRC reported over 41,000 cases of cholera, resulting in 314 deaths, one of the world’s largest cholera epidemics.
The effects of cholera are almost instantaneous, causing vomiting, diarrhea and death from dehydration. Severe dehydration gives the body a desiccated blue-grey hue. Death usually occurs within twenty-four hours of the violent onset of the disease.
M&B with Actualité.cd