Cholera Epidemic Feared

Cholera, a disease that is mainly spread through bacteria-laden water sources, is feared to be spreading rapidly through the poverty-stricken areas of war-torn Congo. Despite a cease-fire, renewed fighting has alerted the international community to a possible crisis localized in Goma on the eastern edge of Congo.

Officials and the international medical community alike are expressing worry over the spread of Cholera; an epidemic is feared as cases are springing up by the dozens in refugee camps and small villages. The disease usually induces chronic diarrhea resulting in severe dehydration and even death.

The Guardian yesterday reported that the cholera problem was dire; due to the continued military push by rebel leader, Laurent Nikunda, over a quarter million people have been spread wide and far throughout the country and into the region of Goma, mostly inhospitable areas without access to clean water or adequate medical supplies.

Since Friday, there have been dozens of confirmed cholera-related deaths reported in Congo. Hundreds of others are critically ill, and officials reported that adequate supplies were running low to combat the spread of the disease.

The worry is localized most especially behind rebel lines where hundreds of thousands of displaced persons are unreachable. The UN has not acted as of yet, but has recommended that peacekeeping forces are bolstered by at least 3,000 more troops.

Human Rights Watch, an organization that advocates fair and ethical treatment of humans especially in war zones, has responded to the crisis and issued a statement calling for International help and aid from both the UN and the African Union. HRW has also reported on terrible conditions in makeshift refugee camps where cholera is spreading.

The feared epidemic comes on the heels of the cease-fire brokered by the rebel commander. However, as of yesterday, the rebel forces were less than 800 meters from the border of Goma where expected cases of cholera are manifesting in greater numbers.

Physicians from Doctors without Borders were concerned with the lack of clean water and medical supplies. Approximately 250,000 children have been displaced and are currently relying on humanitarian assistance for all levels of sustenance and medical support.

The ethnic fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis dates back generations, but has been extremely volatile and deadly since the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. UN and African Nation officials have been working to quell the violence for nearly a decade, with measured results. The recent cholera outbreak is another symptom of the detrimental effects of the ever-pervasive conflict in the Congo.