Gastroenteritis hits Kinshasa, kills 77 children

Some 77 children have died and 2,599 others are infected following an outbreak of gastroenteritis in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a health ministry official. The associate director of epidemiology at the health ministry, Dr Vital Mondonge Makuma, told IRIN on Wednesday that the disease, caused by a strain of the Escherichia coli bacterium, broke out six weeks ago. It was particularly dangerous to children aged below five years, he added. Gastroenteritis causes diarrhoea and vomiting, leading to dehydration, and can be fatal. The first cases were reported in June. The epidemic has affected the entire city. "Cases have already been registered in all the communes of Kinshasa [numbering 24], except for Ngaba and Ngaliema," Mondonge said. The health ministry, the UN World Health Organisation and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have launched a campaign to inform the public on the importance of hygiene and the consumption of clean drinking water. Health centres administering treatment for the disease have been established in each commune, and MSF has provided patients with antibiotics and saline solutions. However, the supply situation has been problematic. "We have launched an appeal to states as well as the international community [for aid], so we can handle the situation," Mondonge said.