from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – THE United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warns that an estimated 80 000 children are at high risk of cholera, as the rainy season begins across Central and West Africa.
Active outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Nigeria heighten the risk, which raise the threat of cross-border transmission to neighbouring countries.
Chad, Republic of Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo are also grappling with ongoing epidemics, while Niger, Liberia, Benin, Central Africa Republic (CAR) and Cameroon remain under close surveillance due to their vulnerability.
UNICEF said urgent and scaled-up efforts are needed to prevent further spread and contain the disease across the regions.
“The heavy rains, widespread flooding, and the high level of displacement are all fueling the risk of cholera transmission and putting the lives of children at risk,” said Regional Director for Central and West Africa, Gilles Fagninou.
“With access to safe water and hygiene conditions already dire, urgent action is needed. This is a matter of survival.”
In DRC, the hardest-hit country in the region, the Ministry of Health has reported in July more than 38 000 cases and 951 deaths, with children under the age of five accounting for 25,6 percent of cases.
In Chad, 55 suspected cases of cholera, including four deaths, have been reported at the Dougui refugee site.
As of the end of June, Nigeria recorded 3 109 suspected cholera cases and 86 deaths.
In Ghana, 612 cholera cases have been reported as of April. In Ivory Coast, 322 cases and 15 deaths were reported as of July. In Togo, 209 cases of cholera and five deaths have been reported as of June.
To scale up its emergency cholera response across the region over the next three months, UNICEF Central and West Africa urgently requires US$20 million to provide critical support in health, water and sanitation as well as risk communication and community engagement.
“We are in a race against time, working hand in hand with the authorities to deliver essential healthcare, safe water, and proper nutrition to children already at risk of deadly diseases and severe acute malnutrition,” Fagninou said.
– CAJ News