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🇨🇩 DR Congo /Health & Science

Ten deaths, including eight children, reported at Ituri displaced camp amid health fears

From Radio Okapi · () French

Translated from French, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Ten deaths, including eight children, have been reported over two days at the Kigonze displaced persons camp in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • Site managers are calling for thorough medical investigations, citing symptoms like fever and anemia, and expressing concern about potential Ebola spread.
  • Residents face dire living conditions, with the last food assistance received in 2021, exacerbating fears of disease outbreaks in the densely populated camp.

Ten individuals, eight of them children, have died within a 48-hour period at the Kigonze displaced persons site in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Site officials, who alerted Radio Okapi on Thursday, June 17, are urgently requesting comprehensive medical investigations to determine the exact causes of these fatalities.

We did not observe any signs of hemorrhage. The children presented rather with fever and signs of anemia. Living conditions are extremely difficult.

— Site OfficialDescribing the symptoms of the deceased and the harsh living conditions at the Kigonze displaced persons site.

The deceased primarily exhibited symptoms of fever and anemia, with no signs of hemorrhage reported. "We did not observe any signs of hemorrhage. The children presented rather with fever and signs of anemia. Living conditions are extremely difficult," stated a site official. Given the ongoing Ebola epidemic in the region, officials emphasize the critical need for medical analyses to rule out or confirm any epidemiological threats.

Compounding the crisis are the severely degraded living conditions for the displaced population. Site managers report that the last food assistance was received in 2021, leaving thousands in extreme precarity with limited access to food and healthcare. "It has been five years since we have received any assistance," they lamented.

It has been five years since we have received any assistance.

— Site ManagersHighlighting the lack of humanitarian aid at the Kigonze camp.

Concerns are mounting over the potential rapid spread of contagious diseases within the densely populated camp. Officials noted that some families kept contact with the bodies before burial, which were temporarily stored in a disused meeting room. "If a disease or epidemic were to spread among the thousands of people living on this site, it would be a true catastrophe given our already precarious living conditions," warned the head of site management. While seven victims were buried on Wednesday, June 17, and three more were scheduled for burial on Thursday, the Ebola response team in Ituri has yet to officially comment on measures taken at Kigonze, where prevention and awareness efforts are deemed insufficient by camp managers.

If a disease or epidemic were to spread among the thousands of people living on this site, it would be a true catastrophe given our already precarious living conditions.

— Head of Site ManagementWarning about the potential for a widespread health disaster due to poor living conditions.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Radio Okapi in French. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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