WHO says ‘high’ cholera risk in DR Congo capital

KINSHASA: The World Health Organisation on Monday said there was a high risk of a cholera epidemic after flooding in Kinshasa, the teeming and ramshackle capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

"In a big city like Kinshasa, which has between 10 and 12 million inhabitants, the rains and the floods make the risk of a spread of this epidemic very high," the WHO’s Africa director Matshidiso R. Moeti said at a press briefing.

Since a cholera outbreak was first reported in November, officials had registered "531 cases, with 32 deaths", senior health ministry official Sylvain Yuma Ramazani told journalists. The highly infectious disease, which thrives in conditions of poor sanitation and contaminated water or food, has spread to 21 of the 35 health zones into which Kinshasa is divided, and "the situation is serious," Ramazani said.

The WHO announced that it has delivered 11 tonnes of medical supplies to the Congolese authorities, including antibiotics and products to treat dehydration. The epicentre of the outbreak is Camp Luka, a poor neighbourhood in central Kinshasa, marked by overcrowding and the lack of both toilets and potable water.