ZAMBIA: Refugees' health situation deteriorates

Three Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)refugees in Kaputa, in the Northern province of Zambia are reported to have died amidst rising fears of an outbreak of communicable diseases like measles, malaria and cholera. Media sources told IRIN on Wednesday that the refugee situation in Kaputa appeared desperate. "Some cases of measles have been reported and there also appears to be a threat of intestinal diseases such as cholera," the sources said. Among the three dead refugees was a new-born baby who could not stand the harsh conditions of travelling from the DRC into Kaputa, the sources said. "The two adults are believed to have died from measles or malaria." Already five cases of measles have been reported at the local clinics, the sources added. UNHCR told IRIN they were investigating the reports. Kaputa is a small district in northern Zambia which accommodated about 3,000 people, before it made headlines at the beginning of March this year when refugees fleeing the war from the DRC started flocking there. The town currently is home to about 15,000 refugees, outnumbering the locals by 5 to 1. The influx of refugees has put a strain on the town's few available resources such as water, food, shelter and sanitation. The refugees were currently accommodated in about 15 camps in and around the Kaputa district. Reports in the Zambian media cited tensions between the refugees and the locals. Some locals, including the Kaputa member of parliament of the ruling Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD) claimed that the refugees were plundering their fields in order to supplement the food they receive from humanitarian aid agencies. Other locals complained that food relief meant for them was being diverted to refugee camps. At the beginning of the influx two weeks ago, some 750 DRC soldiers, armed with their weapons, crossed into Kaputa together with a group of civilian refugees. They were disarmed by the Zambian police and separated from the civilian population. Following talks between the Zambian and DRC governments, the soldiers were bundled into about ten buses and returned to their country. A further 800 soldiers who arrived last week were reported to be still in Kaputa and locals were quoted as saying they were still armed and living among the civilian population. The UNHCR in conjunction with the Zambian authorities have said they planned to move some of the refugees to Mporokoso, about 230 km from Kaputa, to relieve the burden on the town.