Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

DRC: Healthcare crisis as cholera, malnutrition rise
21 Nov 2008 14:37:34 GMT
 Source: IRIN

Background

•  Food and hunger

•  Children

MORE >>
NAIROBI, 21 November 2008 (IRIN) - Many of the displaced in the eastern province of North Kivu urgently need healthcare amid an increase in the number of cholera, gunshot injury and malnutrition cases being reported, according to aid agencies.

Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) has treated 7,000 cases of cholera since January in the province. "There is a lack of access to latrines and clean drinking water," Romain Gitenet, field coordinator for MSF's project in Rutshuru territory, said on 20 November.

Constant population movement and crowded conditions in displacement camps have also contributed towards the spread of the disease.

Cholera cases are being reported in more locations than usual, said MSF. In Kibati, north of Goma, about eight to 10 cases of cholera were reported each day for the week ending 14 November. The number has since gone up to 16 cases daily.

Some of the displaced are also not able to access treatment. "If you don't do anything, 30 to 50 percent of those who have cholera die," Gitenet said. The few health facilities available are overcrowded.

According to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) office in Goma, the main town, there is a continued risk of cholera spreading around the Rutshuru territory.

"Insecurity continues preventing the provision of clean water, latrines, and hygiene promotion to contain the spread; as people keep moving the disease will keep spreading," said UNICEF.

Access problems

Increased gunshot injuries are also leading to more amputations, according to Gitenet. "The use of heavy weapons is more common now," he said.

In October, 406 surgeries were performed at Rutshuru hospital; of these, 110 were gunshot injuries.

Providing medical care was thwarted by access problems. "Although we are managing to work in most of the areas we cannot go everywhere," he said. "Every day is a headache ... We have to find a new way of doing things. You have to be very flexible."

Insecurity in the north has prevented the dispatch of mobile clinics to Kanyabayonga, one of the areas worst affected by fighting between militias allied to renegade army general Laurent Nkunda and the national army.

A feeding centre and a hospital in Kayna, also in the north, had reportedly interrupted "critical assistance to severely malnourished children", according to UNICEF.

The fighting in North Kivu has been characterised by mass displacement and increasing rape cases. Since January MSF has attended to at least 5,700 rape survivors.

"Most [rape survivors] however don't come in to the hospitals as they do not want to be stigmatised," Gitenet said.

In the town of Kanyabayonga, Oxfam reported a tenfold increase in the number of rapes reported at local hospitals and clinics between May and the beginning of November.

Malnutrition on the rise

The number of children suffering from severe malnutrition has also risen dramatically, humanitarian agency, World Vision warned in a statement on 18 November.

Between eight and 10 children have been arriving every day at the agency's nutrition centre in Rwanguba, east of Rutshuru, against one or two a day before the conflict.

"The cause of malnutrition used to be poverty," said Suzanne Kahamba, a nurse working at the Rwanguba clinic. "But now so many people are displaced, they don't have land to grow crops. The conflict has intensified the effects of poverty 10 times over and the situation has become dire."

Fighting in the area cut off the delivery of therapeutic food for nearly three weeks. "We have had no supplies at the centre for a week," said Kahamba. "This morning we had 53 children in need of treatment, but we had nothing to give them." The centre in Rwanguba is one of four across North Kivu.

Meanwhile, MSF has launched a one-year web campaign to highlight the crisis.

The website tells the personal stories of people struggling to survive in a region that has become the frontline of a conflict raging for years, said MSF.

On 20 November, UK aid agencies launched a joint appeal for funds. Launching the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Congo Crisis Appeal, chief executive Brendan Gormley said while aid was getting through to those affected, a massive scale-up was required.

aw/mw

© IRIN. All rights reserved. More humanitarian news and analysis: http://www.IRINnews.org


AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Children

•  Food and hunger

•  Refugees & displacement

•  Water

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  These kids are in school, but they get no education - Rebecca Wynn
Oxfam GB - UK

•  The Women's Commission Calls on the United States to Uphold the Rights of Migrant Children
Women's Commission - USA

•  National Geographic Adventure honors World Vision aid worker as one of 2008 "Adventurers of the Year"
WV - USA

•  Release: Troop Deployment to DR Congo Only First Step
Refugees International - USA

•  EU ministers set to fudge €1 billion food package for poor farmers
Oxfam GB - UK

MORE >>

Latest news

•  DRC: Healthcare crisis as cholera, malnutrition rise

•  "Cursed" Congo still shocks and fascinates

•  SUDAN: Natural resource management tops UN agenda

•  DRC: Concern grows for civilians in Kibati

•  INTERVIEW-Gaza on brink of humanitarian disaster - UN

MORE >>

IRIN news

Background information

Topics
Children Food and hunger Refugees & displacement Water

Related articles

Breaking stories
 DRC: Healthcare crisis as cholera, malnutrition rise (1 minute ago)

"Cursed" Congo still shocks and fascinates (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Open U.N. climate talks to indigenous groups - report (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 These kids are in school, but they get no education - Rebecca Wynn (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 No Man's Land: Iraqi-Palestinians in Al Tanf Camp (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: Weather Hazards Impacts Assessment for Africa (Nov 20 - Nov 26, 2008) (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-21T101047Z_01_PEK07_RTRIDSP_2_CHINA-QUAKE_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/PEK07.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-20T191027Z_01_FOR04_RTRIDSP_2_CONGO-DEMOCRATIC-CHILDREN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/FOR04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-20T190925Z_01_FOR03_RTRIDSP_2_CONGO-DEMOCRATIC-CHILDREN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/FOR03.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-20T190218Z_01_FOR01_RTRIDSP_2_CONGO-DEMOCRATIC-CHILDREN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/FOR01.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-11-20T185937Z_01_FOR02_RTRIDSP_2_CONGO-DEMOCRATIC-CHILDREN_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/FOR02.htm

A woman holds her child as she looks at new construction being built in Leigu town of Beichuan, Sichuan province November 21, 2008. An usually harsh winter is expected in the ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Fri Nov 21 14:38:14 2008