Cholera outbreak in north Katanga could spread - MSF

At least 770 new cases of cholera were recorded in January in villages in and around Kinkondja, northern Katanga, raising fears that the epidemic - which has already killed 34 people - could spread throughout the province, Medécins Sans Frontières (MSF) has said. "We are seeing a similar pattern to the epidemic that infected 10,000 people in Katanga in 2002 and reached all the way south to Lubumbashi," said Roman Gitenet, MSF coordinator in Katanga province, southern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). "This time it could be even worse." Fighting between antigovernment Mayi-Mayi militia and the Congolese army has recently displaced more than 120,000 people in northern Katanga. "Many are living in unsanitary conditions that are idea for cholera bacteria," Gitenet said on Sunday from the provincial capital, Lubumbashi. The ongoing rainy season in Katanga could also exacerbate the problem, as cholera bacteria spreads in pools of water that are contaminated by human waste. MSF medical workers passed through Kinkondja on 6 January on their way further south to help people who had recently been displaced by fighting. The town is in a remote, marshy area of Katanga around Lake Upemba. "Luckily, we arrived when there were only six cases," Gitenet said. "By 8 January there were another 14 cases, and by 10 January there were 44 more." He added that of those infected so far, 34 had died. "We came with only 30 litres of Ringer [a rehydration medicine used to treat cholera], which is enough to treat only three seriously ill patients," he said. "But we had 15,000 litres flown in immediately and another 15,000 litres is now coming by truck." Because of poor roads and heavy rains, the trip from Lubumbashi to Kinkondja is likely to take at least 15 days. Many towns and villages on Lake Upemba and the adjoining Congo River can only be reached by boat. "It's a logistical headache. Sometimes our boat gets stuck on the lake because the water is too shallow," Gitenet said. In addition, he said, Mayi-Mayi groups had recently launched attacks on lakeside villages. Cases of cholera have also been reported recently in the towns of Kalabo, Nkoro and Molungo in northern Katanga. "We just hope that other organisations are ready to help if the epidemic continues to spread," Gitenet said.