Unicef publishes an alarming report on the measles and cholera epidemics that kill thousands of children in the DRC and calls for international solidarity while the health system is in an extremely precarious situation.
- If the whole world is hit by the coronavirus, in Africa, cholera and measles continue to kill
- More than 6,000 victims have been identified, 85% of them children under 5 years old
Although no more cases of Ebola have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the last patient was discharged from hospital on March 3, the country is facing deadly epidemics of measles and cholera, at the same time as he is trying to protect himself from malaria and the growing prevalence of Covid-19. The health situation is very serious.
Children, first victims of measles and cholera
In one report published this Tuesday, the United Nations Children’s Fund explains that the efforts and financial means deployed to stem the Ebola epidemic in the east of the country “have diverted attention and funds previously given to already weakened health facilities, which face several deadly endemic diseases.”
A measles epidemic has infected 332,000 people since the start of 2019: more than 6,200 victims have been identified, of which approximately 85% were children under 5 years old. Thirty-one thousand cases cases of cholera were also counted, of which 45% were children. “About 16.5 million cases of malaria were identified in 2019, resulting in nearly 17,000 deaths. Children under 5 are the most severely affected by the disease.”
17 respirators and an ambulance for 2 million people
Many health facilities lack access to clean water and sanitation services. There is also a lack of equipment, trained personnel and financial means. “Immunization coverage rates, which were already low, have dropped sharply in some provinces over the past year”warns UNICEF. According to its estimates, the vital health needs of 3.3 million children are not met and 9.1 million of them require humanitarian aid.
These figures testify to the significant degradation of a healthcare system in full implosion, even as the first cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the country. Two cases have been detected in the city of Bukavu, where there are only 17 ventilators and a limited stock of drugs, reports RFI. In the province of Haut-Katanga, a prefabricated hospital located near the airport has been designated to receive patients and has only one ambulance… for 2 million inhabitants.
“It is absolutely essential to strengthen the basic health system of the DRCaffirms Edouard Beigbeder, representative of Unicef in the country. If health facilities are unable to provide immunization, nutrition and other essential services, especially in remote areas of the country, the lives and futures of many Congolese children risk being damaged. or destroyed by these preventable diseases.”
The organization calls on international donors to provide generous multi-year aid to support the Government’s efforts to reorganize its services delivering routine health care and to achieve the SDGs in water, sanitation and hygiene to better protect children against communicable diseases.
To donate to UNICEF: www.unicef.fr/covid19
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