from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – MORE than 1 600 people have died from cholera in the continent since the beginning of 2024.
The death toll of 1 618 might be higher as the statistics by the World Health Organisation (WHO) are as of May 31 this year.
Overall, some 6 733 deaths have been reported since January in 2022.
The deaths documented this year are from some 94 973 cases of the water borne diseases.
This is an indictment of authorities as this is a preventable and manageable disease.
It appears unstoppable in the continent because of poor sanitation service delivery and conflicts that force people out of their homes to inhabit unconducive settlements.
The outbreak in the WHO African region in 2024 has affected 14 countries.
These are Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo (which is the worst affected), Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
WHO classifies Comoros, DRC and Ethiopia as currently being in acute crisis.
“The Eastern subregion of the continent, now in the rainy season, is experiencing resurging outbreaks,” an agency spokesperson stated.
WHO has noted the El Nino phenomenon had caused both droughts in Zambia and Zimbabwe in Southern Africa and an increase in rainfall levels, causing floods and landslides in some communities in countries as Kenya and Tanzania in the Eastern bloc.
This is attributed to climate change dilemmas.
– CAJ News