WHO reports that their supported health clinic in North Kivu was temporarily occupied by armed groups and health workers had to flee. With the current situation, experts warn that the threat of infectious diseases has multiplied. Cholera, malaria, measles, meningitis, mpox and tuberculosis are among the infectious threats in the area. WHO figures show Ninety percent of the mpox patients (128 of 143) in isolation units in Goma had fled for safety, making it nearly impossible to provide them with care, and increasing the risk of spread.
The World Health Organization said on Friday that the recent
surge in violence in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has led to
significant loss of life and trauma with over 3,082 injuries recorded in 31
health facilities in North Kivu alone.
According to a statement released on Friday, the organization
noted that not just hospitals are overwhelmed but morgues with 843 people dying
in health facilities in and around Goma since January 26.
With the alarming expansion of violence further south, they
say, 65 injuries were reported from 3 hospitals in South Kivu announcing that
the situation remains tense and volatile, with immense health needs.
According to reports, these numbers are expected to rise
further as more injured people can reach health facilities and more
dead bodies are gathered off the streets.
“Wound infections are a risk for those who have not been
able to reach health care facilities quickly, and as health facilities are
running out of supplies they need to clean and disinfect. The sight of bodies
lying uncared for is distressing.
Though the bodies of people who have died
from injury do not generally carry or spread disease, it is the right of the
dead to be identified and receive proper burial, and important for the living
to know their loved ones have received this care”, the statement reads in part.
Over 70 health facilities in North Kivu have been affected,
with some destroyed and others struggling to restart operations.
Some ambulances have also been damaged.
WHO reports that
their supported health clinic in North Kivu was temporarily occupied by armed
groups and health workers had to flee.
With the current situation, experts warn that the threat of
infectious diseases has multiplied. Cholera, malaria, measles, meningitis, mpox
and tuberculosis are among the infectious threats in the area. WHO figures show
Ninety percent of the mpox patients (128 of 143) in isolation units in Goma had
fled for safety, making it nearly impossible to provide them with care, and
increasing the risk of spread.
In addition, the water supply in Goma was disrupted and has only
partially resumed, leading people to use water from the lake, and heightening
the risk of cholera spread. Close to 600 suspected cases of cholera and 14
deaths were reported from North Kivu between 1 and 27 January.
Goma was home to over 2 million people, including 700,000
people displaced by this crisis. These people have had to flee yet again, in
search of safety. They are in temporary settlements, with their health and
safety at risk.
A rapid assessment of 10 healthcare facilities in and around
Goma showed a concerning rise in rape and other gender-based violence: there
were 45 cases reported among the displaced, and 21 survivors of gang rape admitted to two hospitals.
