In the span of two months, 218 cases of cholera, including 13 deaths, have been registered in the health zone of Fungurume, a rural commune located more than 100 kilometers from the city of Kolwezi, the capital of Lualaba province.
According to Dr. Francis Kambol, this disease began in the health zone of Bunkeya, then in Fungurume, and a few cases have been recorded in the Lualaba health zone.
From the 39th to the 46th epidemiological week, the province reported 282 cases including 14 deaths, making a case fatality rate of 5%. This is higher than the recommended case fatality rate, which should be below 1%.
Furthermore, he reported that other health zones under his jurisdiction are also affected by this epidemic, and a resurgence of the cholera epidemic is reported in the Lualaba province, before noting that this cholera epidemic comes from the Haut-Katanga province through the health zone of Mufunga-Sampwe, specifically in the health area of Kalwa in Dikulwe.
Teams have been deployed to these areas to strengthen the response. The commune of Fungurume is considered a hotspot for this disease of "dirty hands".
Dr. Francis Kambol also urged the population to respect hygiene rules, to bring any suspected cases to the nearest cholera treatment health center for care, and to avoid handling corpses.
Safi Manyonga (SM/PKF)
Lualaba: 218 cholera cases including 13 deaths reported in Fungurume
InternetKinshasaHealth - This disease began in the Bunkeya health zone, then Fungurume, and a few cases have been recorded in the Lualaba health zone. In two months, 218 cases of cholera, including 13 deaths, have been recorded in Fungurume, a city located more than 100 kilometers from Kolwezi, in the Lualaba province.