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Cholera epidemic spreads in DR Congo
Mon Jan 16, 2012 4:20PM GMT
A Congolese child receiving treatment for cholera. (filephoto)
A fresh cholera outbreak is threatening the lives of thousands of people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).


The water-borne epidemic has struck South Kivu, capital of Bukavu Province, which has a population of over 4.5 million people.

More than 1,600 confirmed cases with at least 14 deaths have been reported since last week.

Last year, nearly 19,000 cases were also reported with more than 200 deaths from another cholera outbreak.

Factors such as poor hygiene and little access to safe drinking water contribute to the outbreaks.

Over the past few years, Congo has faced numerous problems such as grinding poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and a war in the east of the country that has dragged on for more than a decade