Heavy Rains in Congo Worsening Cholera Epidemic

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The World Health Organization (WHO) warns heavy rains and flooding in the Democratic Republic of Congo may exacerbate the country’s ongoing cholera epidemic.

Rains last week triggered flooding and landslides in the capital, Kinshasa, causing 45 deaths and widespread damage. The WHO warns the flooding also is likely to worsen the cholera epidemic and other waterborne diseases.

The current outbreak, which began in last July, is one of the most severe in years. The WHO reports people in 24 out of 26 provinces have been infected with the disease. Latest reports find 55,000 cases, including nearly 1,200 deaths.

WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier says this is almost twice the number of cases reported in 2016.

“The case fatality rate in general is just slightly over 2 percent. But, in some provinces, it is much higher. In four provinces, the case fatality rate is more than 5 percent and actually much larger sometimes,” he said.

Lindmeier added that in Kinshasa, the case fatality rate is 13 percent, in Kasai, 14.5 percent and in Tanganyika, just over 11 percent.