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South Kivu: Health alert due to measles, cholera and Mpox
Published on Wed, 05/11/2025 - 11:14 | Modified on Wed, 05/11/2025 - 11:14
South Kivu is facing a critical epidemiological situation, marked by the simultaneous resurgence of three major infectious diseases: measles, cholera, and Mpox (monkeypox). This was announced on Wednesday, November 5th, by the provincial chief medical officer of health, Dr. Aimé Alengo Odudu, who painted an alarming picture of the situation.
According to data compiled between the 1st and 43rd weeks of 2025, the province recorded:
7,961 cases of measles and 164 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 2.06% in 21 health zones
19,011 cases of Mpox and 17 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 0.69% in 34 health zones
10,900 cases of cholera and 75 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 0.69% in 16 health zones
A new threat: polio
Dr. Alengo also warned of an emerging polio epidemic, confirmed by laboratory testing. The province is now classified as high-risk, and health authorities are preparing a vaccination response in a context of war, where several areas of the province, including the city of Bukavu, are under the control of the M23-AFC rebellion.
"The big challenge is care. There is a real problem with the availability of medicines, especially for children under 5. Even organizing responses is becoming difficult in the current context," he said.
A call to action
Faced with this triple health crisis, provincial authorities are calling for the urgent mobilization of humanitarian and technical partners to:
Strengthening response capacities,
Supplying healthcare facilities with essential medicines,
Protecting the most vulnerable populations, especially children.
The situation in South Kivu illustrates the growing public health challenges in areas affected by insecurity, population displacement and a lack of medical resources.
South Kivu: Health alert due to measles, cholera and Mpox
Published on Wed, 05/11/2025 - 11:14 | Modified on Wed, 05/11/2025 - 11:14
South Kivu is facing a critical epidemiological situation, marked by the simultaneous resurgence of three major infectious diseases: measles, cholera, and Mpox (monkeypox). This was announced on Wednesday, November 5th, by the provincial chief medical officer of health, Dr. Aimé Alengo Odudu, who painted an alarming picture of the situation.
According to data compiled between the 1st and 43rd weeks of 2025, the province recorded:
7,961 cases of measles and 164 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 2.06% in 21 health zones
19,011 cases of Mpox and 17 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 0.69% in 34 health zones
10,900 cases of cholera and 75 deaths, representing a case fatality rate of 0.69% in 16 health zones
A new threat: polio
Dr. Alengo also warned of an emerging polio epidemic, confirmed by laboratory testing. The province is now classified as high-risk, and health authorities are preparing a vaccination response in a context of war, where several areas of the province, including the city of Bukavu, are under the control of the M23-AFC rebellion.
"The big challenge is care. There is a real problem with the availability of medicines, especially for children under 5. Even organizing responses is becoming difficult in the current context," he said.
A call to action
Faced with this triple health crisis, provincial authorities are calling for the urgent mobilization of humanitarian and technical partners to:
Strengthening response capacities,
Supplying healthcare facilities with essential medicines,
Protecting the most vulnerable populations, especially children.
The situation in South Kivu illustrates the growing public health challenges in areas affected by insecurity, population displacement and a lack of medical resources.
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