CONGO: Red Cross sets sights on cholera

Photo: Laudes Martial Mbon/IRIN

A street in Brazzaville. The Red Cross has blamed poor hygiene and sanitation conditions in the south of Congo for a rise in cases of cholera

BRAZZAVILLE, 12 December 2008 (IRIN) - The lack of clean drinking water and proper hygiene fuelled the spread of cholera in the south and southwest of the Republic of Congo, says the Congolese Red Cross, which has just completed a campaign to teach people how to recognise and stem the spread of the disease.

It said the cholera outbreak began in the Boeunza region in February 2008 and that by the end of November 127 cases of the disease and three deaths had been registered.

At least 22 other cases have been reported in the Kinkassa area and in the Pool region, which surrounds the capital, Brazzaville.

“In Kinkassa, the patients are under observation. In Bouenza, the disease has been halted and the number of deaths limited thanks to the rapid intervention of the authorities, NGOs and other organisations such as UNICEF [the UN Children’s Fund]," said Yvette Mbazo'o Mve of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

She said the lack of hygiene and clean drinking water explained the rise of cholera which is sometimes called the "dirty-hands disease".

In Congo, only 14 percent of people have access to clean drinking water in rural areas, while in the towns and cities this rises to nearly 60 percent.

No latrines

"In the affected zones, most people have no latrines and they defecate in the grass or near their homes. They have no access to clean water and simply drink untreated water from lakes or rivers," she said.

In Loudima, one of the main towns in Bouenza, only 458 people out of a population of 10,500 have latrines at their homes. In Mouindi, a village in the area, only 35 out of 500 have latrines.

The Congolese Red Cross mobilised 120 volunteers to carry out a public awareness campaign between July and December on the dangers of cholera and how to avoid it.

“This was done through theatre, sketches and picture boxes," said Mbazo'o Mve.

Due to this campaign, the number of latrines in Loudima has now risen to 1,222, and locals have built around 400 rubbish pits.

Poor water quality also causes diarrhoeic diseases which are the second main cause of child mortality in the Republic of Congo after malaria, according to the Red Cross.

China recently agreed to provide four million dollars to build up the water distribution network in the northern town of Ogo, which has a population of 10,000.

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