MSF fights cholera outbreak in Rwanguba, North Kivu

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has sent three nurses and supplies to Rwanguba Hospital, some 60 km northeast of Goma, in North Kivu Province of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the charity reported on Tuesday. It said that over the past three weeks there had been over 200 diagnosed cholera cases, with 11 deaths. However, it said it had been able to mount a rapid response to the situation. MSF said that while the Rwanguba health zone included some 120,000 people, not all were affected by the outbreak. Although cholera is endemic in eastern DRC, MSF said that once cholera cases were properly managed and isolated - and necessary preventative measures put into place - the health threat diminished significantly.