A cholera epidemic which broke out in Congo has claimed the lives of about 500 people due to the issue of contaminated water.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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The World Health Organisation on Tuesday said more than 500 people
have so far died in cholera epidemic sweeping the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
The world body said in a statement that outbreaks of the
water-borne disease occur regularly in Congo, mainly due to poor
sanitation and the lack of access to clean drinking water.
It stated that this year’s epidemic, which hit at least 10 urban
areas including Kinshasa, was particularly disturbing as about 1.4
million people were displaced by violence in the central Kasai region.
The WHO said at least 528 people had died and the epidemic had spread to 20 of Congo’s 26 provinces.
It noted that “the risk of spread remains very high toward the
Grand Kasai region, where degraded sanitary and security conditions
further increase vulnerability in the face of the epidemic.
“So far, health officials have recorded more than 24,000
suspected cases of the disease across the vast nation this year,
averaging more than 1,500 new cases per week since the end of July.”
It added that WHO sent a team of experts, including epidemiologists
and public health specialists to Congo this month to contain the spread
of the disease.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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