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Health workers put up a poster on preventing cholera during an outbreak in Kinshasa in 2016.

WHO/Eugene Kabambi

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A new resolve to eliminate cholera in DRC

27 October 2023

The complex health crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has worsened since the beginning of 2023. In the east of the country, entire villages have been burned to the ground as intercommunal clashes and armed conflict rage, forcing people to leave their homes for their safety and survival. The area has also seen floods and landslides, further increasing the risk of outbreaks of deadly diseases. One of these diseases is cholera. Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with faeces containing the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. While the disease has been eliminated from many parts of the world, it continues to affect eastern DRC, marred by years of underdevelopment, conflict and extreme climate events. In October 2023, the government of DRC launched a plan to eliminate the disease by 2030.

Internal displaced population in Kanyaruchinya camp, North Kivu, Eastern DRC -

WHO/Eugene Kabambi

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Palais briefing – 22 September 2023, With Dr Boureima Hama Sambo, WHO Representative...

22 September 2023

Eastern DRC’s crisis devastating lives of millions and putting the health system on the brink.

Once children are protected against polio, they are marked on their fingers to confirm their vaccination status

Africa’s polio certification commission calls for urgent action to bolster vaccinati...

10 July 2023

Kinshasa – With 117 confirmed cases of circulating variant polioviruses and 107 detections in sampled wastewater so far in the African Region in 2023, the Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) has urged countries and health partners to urgently address gaps in polio immunity to avert outbreaks.

Democratic Republic of the Congo faces acute health crisis amid rising violence

23 June 2023

Kinshasa – The number of internally displaced persons in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has more than doubled to 6.3 million since the end of 2022 amid a spike in conflict and insecurity, as well as natural disasters and disease outbreaks that are deepening the plight of millions of people and exponentially heightening health needs.

RDC - Environ 6,3 millions de personnes déplacées à l'intérieur du pays et la communauté qui les accueille sont exposées à des conditions potentiellement mortelles.

WHO/Eugene Kabambi

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Déclaration L3 de mise à l'échelle du système des Nations Unies pour la République d...

22 June 2023

La République démocratique du Congo (RDC) traverse une crise prolongée due à divers facteurs. La crise qui sévit depuis près de trois décennies dans l'est de la RDC a continué de se détériorer et s'est étendue à d'autres régions. En raison des conflits armés en cours, des violences intercommunautaires et des attaques, les populations ont été de plus en plus déplacées de manière récurrente. Environ 6,3 millions de personnes déplacées à l'intérieur du pays et la communauté qui les accueille sont exposées à des conditions potentiellement mortelles.

First large-scale campaign in DRC using innovative polio vaccine

01 June 2023

Brazzaville/Kinshasa - The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today launches its first major immunization campaign using the novel polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), to protect children against the devastating consequences of the virus.

First Doses of the Ebola Vaccine Trial being stocked at the National Medical Store in Kampala, Uganda

WHO Uganda

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Historical record: Ebola trial candidate vaccines arrive in Uganda 79 days after out...

09 December 2022

Kampala, Brazzaville, Geneva, 9 December 2022 – The first doses of one of three candidate vaccines against Sudan ebolavirus arrived in Uganda yesterday. These will be evaluated in a clinical trial called the Solidarity Against Ebola or Tokomeza Ebola.

Une vue partielle du site de déplacés internes de Kikumbe dans la zone de santé de Nyemba, au nord de Kalemie, Province du Tanganyika

OMS/Eugene Kabambi

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En RDC, les populations déplacées internes du Tanganyika bénéficient de la vaccinati...

01 December 2022

Dans la province du Tanganyika, dans le sud-est de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC), les conflits intercommunautaires et les attaques de groupes armés ont forcé plus de 360 850 personnes, soit environ 10 % de la population, à fuir leurs habitations. Ces personnes déplacées internes sont particulièrement exposées aux maladies à potentiel épidémique, dont la COVID-19.

Working with communities to curb cholera in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

25 November 2022

More than 14 African countries have reported cholera cases since January 2022. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, this acute diarrhoeal disease is endemic in several provinces. Since the beginning of the year, more than 12 300 suspected cases have been reported, including 222 deaths, in 17 of the country's 26 provinces.

Monitoring antimicrobial resistance trends to save lives

23 November 2022

Nathalie* looked upon her convalescent baby, hope slowly wiping away distress. Her 12-month-old boy had been admitted to St Luc Hospital in Kisantu, a town in the south of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s capital Kinshasa, when initial treatment proved ineffective.

Democratic Republic of Congo News