Re: DR Congo Health updates 2013
WHO Health Emergency Highlights
Emergency Risk Management and Humanitarian Response April 2013
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Health Emergency Highlights April 2013.pdf
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Situation highlights
Conflict and insecurity persist across the Democratic Republic of the Congo causing people to flee the violence. According to the Commission de Mouvements de Population, in Katanga province there are more than 350 000 people displaced. There are estimates of over 900 000 displaced people in North Kivu due to insecurity. More than 37 755 refugees from the Central Africa Republic have been registered by UNHCR in Equator and Oriental provinces (as of 3 May), the majority living with host families.
The conflict has destroyed much of the Democratic Republic of the Congo?s health infrastructure. Population movements put people?s health at risk as due to difficulties in accessing water, health care and basic services. The maternal mortality ratio is 540 deaths per 100 000 live births and the under-five mortality rate is 170/1000 (WHO Global Health Observatory 2010). Some of the biggest killers of children are diarrhoea, malaria, malnutrition and pneumonia. Multiple epidemics (malaria, measles, cholera, and typhoid) are posing a serious threat to the health and livelihoods of people in 30% to 50% of the country.
Cholera mainly affects the eastern provinces, which account for more than 97% of the cases. Katanga province registers 70% of all cases in the country.
As of 29 April, 14 725 cholera cases and 296 deaths were registered throughout the country including 9797 cases and 243 deaths in Katanga.
Since the beginning of the year, 47 487 cases of measles with 617 deaths were registered nationwide.
Two cases of yellow fever were confirmed in the Lubeo Health Zone/Kasai Oriental Province. A rapid assessment mission to advise on the best response strategy to this epidemic will begin 7 May.
As part of the rapid response to the emergency health needs of displaced populations in the area of Pweto/Katanga, WHO has trained health care providers on the new protocols for malaria case management and the minimum package of basic health services.
Health Cluster priorities
Increase access to a minimum package of basic health services including required life-saving interventions such as surgical services and emergency obstetric care to reduce maternal and child mortality.
Strengthen technical and institutional capacities for the surveillance and response to diseases with epidemic potential.
Strengthen coordination of health partners to improve contingency plans and adapt responses to emerging situations.
Strengthen community capacity (women and men, girls and boys) to reduce the risk of communicable diseases and to mitigate the impact of recurrent epidemics.
Health Cluster response
WHO is supporting the Health Cluster response to the cholera outbreak and has provided lifesaving medicines, IV fluids and basic health care supplies to health centres for cholera affected populations in Katanga, North Kivu and South Kivu.
WHO carried out three workshops on the promotion of health and risk communication related to the cholera outbreak in Katanga,
A rapid assessment mission was conducted by WHO to re-evaluate the medical care needs in response to new cholera outbreaks in South Kivu.
An inter-agency assessment mission to evaluate the health needs of refugees living outside of camps and host families was conducted in Equateur Province.
In January, WHO organized a national workshop organized by the Health Cluster in cooperation with the WASH cluster to evaluate the cholera response activities of 2011 and 2012.
WHO supported mass vaccination campaigns against measles in eight of the most affected health zones in Equateur province.
A joint measles workshop was carried out with UNICEF at national level, aiming at analysing current response strategies and identifying areas of improvement.
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