Cholera kills Congolese refugees

Dec 04, 2008

CHOLERA has hit Nakivale refugee camp in Isingiro district in western Uganda. The two refugees were from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where they fled the ongoing clashes between Laurent Nkunda's rebels and the DR Congo government troops.

By Abdulkarim Ssengendo

CHOLERA has hit Nakivale refugee camp in Isingiro district in western Uganda. The district health officer, William Nyehangane, said two refugees died on Tuesday and another 52 were admitted in Kabahunda, Isingiro district.

He said the two refugees were from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They fled the country following the ongoing clashes between Laurent Nkunda's rebels and the government troops. Nyehangane was speaking to journalists on Wednesday.

He added that 50 of those admitted are from the DRC and two from Rwanda.
Nyehangane said the district had not yet established the origin of the disease but they suspect it was brought by the new entrants from the DRC.

The World Health Organisation set up temporary isolation structures within the camp to house the affected refugees.

Nyehangane said he had asked the health ministry officials and the international community for quick intervention to control the situation.

There are about 32,000 refugees from Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Eritrea and Liberia living in Nakivale, he said.

The desk officer of south western Uganda recently reported that 3,000 refugees from the DRC had been resettled in Nakivale.

Nyehangane said on average 100 refugees from Ishasha in Congo flock to the district as a result of the war in the eastern part of the DRC.

The UPDF 2nd Division spokesperson, Capt. Tabaro Kiconco, said the situation in the refugee camps was worrying. adding that refugees lacked food, water, medicine, toilets and shelter.

The field coordinator of Mbarara Red Cross, Richard Nsubuga, said the organisation was sensitising communities about proper hygiene.
Nakivale was established in 1960 as a receiving camp for the Rwandan Tutsi who fled ethnic conflicts from the Hutu- dominated regime in 1959.

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