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Congo River: Cholera Outbreak - May 2011

Disaster description

DR Congo

A cholera outbreak was declared in March 2011 in Oriental province and later spread along the Congo River to Bandundu, Equateur and Kinshasa provinces in DR Congo. The Ministry of Health declared a national epidemic in June and appealed to donors for support. (IFRC, 25 Apr 2012) Over the course of 2011, 8,038 cases of cholera and 434 deaths were recorded in the western provinces, with a peak in June (Gov't/WHO, 3 Jul 2012). In 2012, 7,175 cases and 229 deaths were registered, peaking in April (Gov't/WHO, 29 Jan 2013).

Republic of Congo

The first cases of cholera appeared in the Likouala, Cuvette and Plateaux divisions in June 2011, but Government officials did not declare the epidemic officially until July 2011. By 27 Dec 2011, 775 cases of cholera and 32 deaths were registered nationwide. (IFRC, 1 Feb 2012)

At the beginning of 2012, a new cholera outbreak occurred in Betou and the surrounding villages. 355 cholera cases, including 5 deaths, were recorded, with the highest number of cases at the beginning of March. By June, no new cases had been registered. (IFRC, 30 Sep 2012)

On 4 March 2012, an explosion occurred in an arms depot in Brazzaville, making 13,800 people homeless. They were accommodated in a temporary site where cases of cholera were declared in late March 2012 and early April 2012. (IFRC, 30 Apr 2012)

From May through to June 2012, no new cases were registered. (IFRC, 30 Sept 2012)

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