"Cholera, a severe and potentially fatal diarrhoeal disease, can spread quickly when, as is the case in much of the DRC, water supply and sanitation services are inadequate. The statement said that only 43% of people in Congo have access to at least basic water services the lowest rate in Africa and just 15% use basic sanitation. This situation has been exacerbated by conflict, with particularly the mineral-rich east of the country affected."
""Congolese children should not be so gravely affected by what is a wholly preventable disease," UNICEF spokesperson John Agbor said."
""Without additional funds and coordinated action, many more lives could be lost," Agbor said."
There have been 64,427 cholera cases and 1,888 deaths in the DRC since January. Children account for 14,818 cases and 340 deaths, about 23.4% of cases. Cholera has been reported in 17 of 26 provinces. In one Kinshasa orphanage, 16 of 62 children died within days of the outbreak. An appeal requests about $6 million for 2026 to sustain rapid response operations, while a government elimination plan with a $192 million budget remains underfunded. Only 43% of people have access to basic water services and 15% use basic sanitation. Conflict, particularly in the mineral-rich east, has worsened conditions. Regional cases are rising elsewhere in Africa.
Read at www.dw.com
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