DR Congo's government sets aside task force to tackle cholera outbreak

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has set a side a special team to address the current cholera outbreak in the country.

More than 500 people have died so far in a cholera epidemic that is sweeping the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization said.

The World Health Organization has also joined hands to curb this waterborne disease. The WHO donated 400 billion dollars to the Congolese health ministry to address the outbreak.

Several measures have already been taken that include awareness to the public and various ways to minimise the disease spreading to other regions.

So far, health officials have recorded more than 24,000 suspected cases of the disease across the vast nation this year, averaging more than 1,500 new cases per week since the end of July.

But this year’s epidemic, which has already hit at least 10 urban areas including the capital Kinshasa, is particularly worrying as it comes as about 1.4 million people have been displaced by violence in the central Kasai region.