Cholera kills 36 DR Congo refugees last month in Uganda: WHO

KAMPALA, March 22 (Xinhua) -- At least 36 refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) died last month following an outbreak of cholera in western Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a statement Thursday.

In the statement, the WHO said the cumulative number of reported cases is now 1,747, with 36 deaths, since Feb. 23, when the outbreak in the refugee settlements in the southwestern districts of Hoima and Kyegegwa was declared.

On Monday, 20 new patients were admitted to the Cholera Treatment Centers, most of whom were new arrivals that just fled the ethnic violence between the Lendu and Hema in DRC's northeastern Ituri Province.

The WHO said it has assisted the district health team to streamline the process of identifying, reporting, and recording cases leading to regular and standardized situation reports.

The statement noted that the DRC's health ministry and district authorities are working closely with UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN International Children's Emergency Fund, the WHO, Uganda Red Cross Society, and other partners.

At least some 50,000 refugees from the DRC's Ituri Province have sought refuge-status in Uganda this year following the violence which erupted on Dec. 17, 2017. Enditem