Diarrhoea kills 37 in Kasai Oriental

Thirty-seven people have died following an outbreak of diarrhoea in Lomela town in Kasai Oriental Province, central Democratic Republic of the Congo, a medical official told IRIN on Friday. "Some 184 people have been affected and 37 deaths were recorded by 3 December," Dr Benoit Kebela, a departmental director in the Ministry of Health, said. He said although details were not yet available, the majority of victims were children. Kebela said the outbreak began in the village of Elinga Panga before spreading to other towns. A medical team from the World Health Organisation arrived in the area on Wednesday, WHO reported. The NGO Catholic Relief Services has sent medicines and disinfectant. "The big problem for this zone is the lack of drinking water," Kebela said. "The lack of hygiene is the cause of many of the deaths." "The population of the zone is made up of people who are worn out and destitute after five years of war. Lomela is a health zone without medicines where the people are suffering from malnutrition," he added.