Cholera Crisis in Eastern DRC Threatens Children, Urgent Action Needed
Conflict and displacement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo contribute to a cholera crisis, endangering children's lives.
GOMA, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO — The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has issued a warning about the escalating cholera crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), particularly affecting children, writes Winston Mwale.
According to UNICEF, there have been 31,342 suspected or confirmed cholera cases and 230 deaths in the country during the first seven months of 2023, with a significant number of cases involving children.
The worst-hit province, North Kivu, has reported over 21,400 confirmed or suspected cases, including more than 8,000 children under the age of 5, as reported by the Ministry of Public Health.
In comparison, there were only 5,120 total cases in 2022, with 1,200 cases involving children under 5 years old.
Shameza Abdulla, UNICEF DRC Senior Emergency Coordinator based in Goma, expressed concern over the scale of the outbreak and its potential devastation.
Abdulla emphasised the urgent need for action, stating, "If urgent action is not taken within the next few months, there is a significant risk that the disease will spread to parts of the country that have not been affected for many years. There is also the danger that it will continue to spread in displacement sites where systems are already overwhelmed and the population – especially children – is highly vulnerable to illness and – potentially – death. Displaced families have already been through so much."
The DRC, which is currently facing the worst displacement crisis in Africa and one of the worst globally, with over 6.3 million displaced people across the country, has seen more than 1.5 million people, including over 800,000 children, displaced in North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri provinces since January 2023.
The displacement camps, characterised by overcrowding and limited resources, have become breeding grounds for cholera transmission.
In Goma, the provincial capital, families living in displacement camps are facing severe shortages of water and sanitation.
Almost 300,000 individuals, including 183,000 children, lack access to sufficient water, while less than a third of the population has access to a latrine, resulting in 159 people sharing a single latrine.
Investigations conducted by the Ministry of Public Health in May and June revealed that between 62% and 99% of cholera-affected households in North Kivu's four major hotspots were families that had been displaced in 2023.
The survey also highlighted additional health risks faced by families living in cholera hotspots, including malnutrition, limited access to prenatal care, and a lack of vaccinations.
UNICEF is urgently calling for $62.5 million to expand its prevention and response activities over the next five months.
The funds would be used to reach 1.8 million people, including 1 million children, with safe water, hygiene kits, latrines, medical supplies, and child-friendly cholera care.
Currently, the appeal is only 9% funded, underscoring the need for immediate support to address the cholera crisis in the eastern DRC.