Health conditions continue to deteriorate

Health conditions in the DRC have continued to deteriorate, humanitarian sources said. The situation had been aggravated by war, poor sanitary conditions among the displaced populations and residents, as well as malnutrition. The sources said this had created a fertile ground for the outbreak and spread of numerous illnesses and infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted diseases. Women and children were among the vulnerable groups most affected by this crisis. Meanwhile, a recent survey of mortality in eastern DRC by an international NGO revealed that the war has directly or indirectly caused some 1.7 million deaths, a large proportion of them children, over a period of 22 months. Some 1.5 million of those deaths were attributable to the collapse of the health infrastructure caused by the war and lack of support funds, the NGO pointed out.