Location: Tanganyika district, Katanga province

Situation:

Despite a wealth of natural resources, the economic, social and health systems in DRC have slowed down dramatically since the 1980s, followed by total collapse during two inter-African wars. During a long electoral process-supported by the international community-Joseph Kabila won the presidency, yet this has not brought any real political, economic or social stability to the country. Fighting started again in the East and on the Rwandan-Ugandan border in August 2008 and the regionalisation process was not implemented.

Activities:

The project aims to improve the population’s health by training and supervising vaccination teams, raising awareness among the population, and reinforcing the cold chain. Doctors of the World (DoW) also supports health facilities with data collection, training community contact persons in disease surveillance and organising discussion sessions. The project also includes the refurbishment of cholera treatment centres, provision of therapeutic materials, preventive chlorination of water and pre-positioning emergency response supplies.

Outlook:

In 2008, the number of cholera cases reported halved, but the cases have spread throughout Tanganyika district. The partnership between international actors and the health authorities should enable improvements in surveillance and epidemic response.