KINSHASA, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), described by the United Nations as Africa's largest cholera hotspot, reported more than 39,400 suspected cases and 1,173 deaths between January and August this year, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Thursday.
According to OCHA, the eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu remain the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for more than half of the country's new weekly cases.
Ongoing insecurity, population movements and inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure continue to fuel transmission, placing additional strain on a health system already stretched by multiple humanitarian crises, OCHA said.
The cholera outbreak is unfolding alongside the country's ongoing Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organization has previously warned that several provinces affected by cholera, including North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Tshopo and Haut-Uele, are also facing ongoing Ebola transmission, compounding pressure on healthcare, sanitation and humanitarian response systems. ■